For Your Entertainment
by The Barista
Summary: DISCONTINUED! What if Kurt decided to rejoin the cheerios? How will it change him? Cheerio!Kurt. AU after 3x05. Kurt/Blaine SLASH.
1. Cheer for the Cheerio

AU set right after The Rocky Horror Glee Show. Kurt hasn't met Blaine yet and I also had Kurt have a new hair style a _little_ earlier.

I don't own glee.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Cheer for the Cheerio.<strong>

Kurt sat down in the auditorium. The white, red and black uniform hugging him in all the right places. It was tighter and fit him better than last year and while it was still horrendously out of fashion, only a small price to pay for the benefits he would enjoy. Coach Sylvester had been all too happy to have him rejoin the Cheerios when he'd auditioned and told her he'd been taking vocal coaching this summer. He was now able to go into a lower register easily. He had won her nationals last year with his medley and _knew_ he was extremely flexible for a guy. She seemed to still have a soft spot for her 'Porcelain' and let him back on the team. Kurt was happy with that. It might have been annoying once, but she seemed like the only adult, barring his father, who stayed the same. And while she may be a bitch most of the time, so was Kurt. Sue seemed to like and dislike his attitude at random moments, but that was okay with the fashionista.

Being a cheerleader last year had made life at McKinley almost bearable. The jocks had left him alone for the most part, not wanting Sue to rip them a new one for harming one of her meal tickets, he'd gotten privileges he didn't even know existed and while he _hated_ the conformity of the uniform, it did seem to make him stand out in a positive way. Sue hadn't been hounding him to lose weight either, when he'd told her it would probably implicate his energy, making him breathe improperly which would then affect his singing she had quit making a big deal out of it. His weight wasn't a problem anymore anyway.

Helping out in the shop with his dad and dancing had done _wonders_ to his physique. Add to that a growth spurt and a new haircut that he'd gotten with Mercedes last week and he looked much more _mature_. Gone were the baby face and the pear hips. Even his father had seen the difference in his general appearance. Burt Hummel, the man who couldn't see the difference between a coat and a vest, had noticed the changes in his son's looks. It was an accomplishment.

"Hummel! Since when are you back to being a Cheerio?" Santana teasingly spoke, sitting down next to him. He crossed his legs and cocked his head towards her.

"Since Coach Sylvester let me back on the squad for my exceptional audition of 'Time to say Goodbye' Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman version." Santana scoffed.

"That's it?" she said and Kurt smirked.

"I sang both parts, while standing on my hands." It was a skill he'd wanted to learn over the summer. He'd almost broken his neck once or twice, but it was worth it. Santana whistled in amazement.

"Must have taken you a long time to get that down Ladyface," Kurt just smiled. It _had_ taken a long time. Santana didn't need to know that though. He looked around and gave Mercedes a little wave from where she was sitting next to Tina. She waved back and continued her conversation with the gothic girl and Kurt turned to Shuester.

Doing Rocky Horror a few weeks ago had been fun, but had been started with the wrong intentions. Shuester had the nasty habit of involving New Directions in schemes to further his own relationships. He either used the glee club as an excuse or a way to curry favour with the ladies.

"Alright everyone! Settle down! First of all let's welcome back Noah Puckerman!" The club clapped in enthusiasm and Kurt rolled his eyes at the football player. His toughness spiel was getting pretty old now. He snorted at Quinn's adding and looked back at the Spanish teacher ,a look of no real interest on his face. "Now! I have in my hand our competition for sectionals," Kurt did perk up at that. This was important. Sectionals last year had almost been a complete disaster, thanks to Sue. "First up, the accapella choir from the all boys school in Westerville, the Dalton Academy Warblers." Kurt could hear his fellow glee clubbers hum and clap in anticipation for any sign of competition, like they could use it. He almost shook his head at them but refrained. Let them live in this little fantasy for a while.

"Okay, hold up," Santana began, "Like a million awesome gay jokes just popped up into my head," Kurt looked sideways at her and raised an eyebrow when she looked at him and smirked.

"I thought you'd say something more along the lines of 'Wow! New targets for my compulsive 'have sex with every penis disorder'," Santana glared while the glee club snickered around him.

"Well played Hummel," she said reluctantly, "Well played." Kurt just cocked up his chin and winked at her. He didn't want to be on her bad side and he hoped that the wink would show her that it wasn't meant to be hurtful.

He knew Santana was a bitch. He also knew it was a defense mechanism most of the time. He tuned back in to Shuester's speech just to hear 'Second annual boys vs. girls tournament' to which the club reacted favourably. Kurt tried to sneakily get over to the girls side but was chastised by the Spanish teacher and send back. He sighed in annoyance but complied. Hell week was about to begin.

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><p>Kurt closed his locker and was almost instantly slammed into it by someone. Karofsky apparently hadn't really noticed the cheerios uniform or was too stupid to care. He turned around, fury in his eyes. "<em>What<em> is your problem?" he yelled after the burly jock. Karofsky turned around and advanced on him, fist raised. He lowered it when he saw Kurt's uniform. No one screwed with a cheerio, unless they had a death wish, but Karofsky still advanced on him.

"You talking back to me, Hummel?" he said menacingly. Kurt moved back against the lockers.

"_Leave_ me alone you stupid _Neanderthal_," Kurt spat at him. Karofsky's eyes narrowed. "You talk back to me again you _fag_ and getting your queer ass slushied is the least you'll have to worry about!" He was inches away from Kurt when he slammed his fist into the locker next to his head and Kurt jumped and quivered in fear. Karofsky was bigger and stronger than him by _miles _and getting a fist slammed inches from your face was intimidating.

The jock stormed off and Kurt took a moment to steady himself.

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><p>He didn't understand what Shuester was trying to achieve, getting him to open up against his will. The teachers had never done anything to stop the bullying in this school. Sue had probably already gotten wind of one of her cheerios being threatened by one of the jocks and set him straight with threats and promises of great pain.<p>

Kurt made a few statements about his unhappiness but the teacher only focused on the last part. The boys vs. Girls thing.

"Look Mr. Shue, I am unhappy and yes I would have rather performed with the girls as I don't really fit in with the guys in glee club," He got up and grabbed his bag, "Being the only openly gay kid at this school makes me a target. I rejoined the Cheerios because I know it will protect me somewhat. That and I am not at all challenged here, even though that doesn't seem to matter." He silently walked out and made his way to the gymnasium. Cheerios practice would start in 10 minutes and he wanted to stretch before starting. He opened the double doors and was greeted with only a few of the cheerleaders doing stretches. Practice had been grueling last year, constantly practicing new routines and singing himself hoarse to get that French medley correct. Stretching before practice made the pain a little more bearable.

He set down his bag on the bleachers and was about to start his exercises when their coach walked in. "Porcelain! Get your ass down here!" She yelled. He jogged over to her and greeted her with a soft 'coach'. She frowned. "You won't have to worry about that sad excuse for a human being anymore. I don't want your performance with my squad to go down because some jock can't keep his grubby hands off. Now go do your stretches!" She barked. Kurt offered a relieved 'thank you' before hopping back to his spot.

His plan already seemed to be working out. He silently contemplated to himself while bending over, wrapping his hands around his toes. If everything worked out, he'd not only have a better highschool experience, a little ounce of popularity (though it was unlikely), free waxes and facials at the expensive spa down in Westerville, but a chance to shine. To have an audience applaud him for what he achieved. He knew that cheerleading wouldn't be that big of a plus on his college app, but he still had senior year to worry about that.

Practice seemed to fly by and soon it was time for glee club. Kurt's muscles were protesting the heavy work out, but knew it would help in the long run. He gingerly sat down in one of the auditorium chairs in the middle of the boy group. He sadly, didn't get to sit with Mercedes.

Kurt's eyes widened when Shuester announced the change. He could really be in his element here. A girl song would be perfect for him to sing and dance to, as his register was higher. This also allowed him almost practical right to choose the song, as he knew the most female artists. This one was _theirs_.

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><p>Okay. So maybe it wasn't theirs. All the boys kept protesting his ideas and veto-ing his song choices. Puck adding in that he should do something useful instead of trying to get them to choose costumes and poison a bunch of old people was the last straw.<p>

"Look, Puckerman. I don't have time to visit a school 2 hours away, because I have Cheerios practice this afternoon. I am trying to get something together here, so you can either come up with ideas or piss off and spy on them yourself," Kurt rarely swore. He knew that his choices were girly, but the assignment had been pretty clear. The more opposite, the better. What was more different for these guys then wearing feather boas while singing Diana Ross or Celine Dion? _So what_ if he liked wearing sequin shirts while performing. He might like girly things, but he still had a penis, just like them. The boys seemed taken aback by his words.

"I don't have to sing lead," Kurt complied, "But that doesn't mean you can just sit there and expect me to do all the work and then flush it all down the drain because your _manliness_ gets threatened. I'd rather be with the girl group because they don't bitch and moan about every littey thing," Artie spoke up first.

"I see your point Kurt. But could we tone it down, just a little bit? I'd feel mightily uncomfortable in feathers and glitter but I do like the idea of the bowties," He added hastily. Kurt nodded.

"Anything to add, gentleman?" he spoke to the others. Finn nodded his head uncertainly.

"While I know you can sing very high Kurt, this is supposed to be a group number, so a song choice that is in all of our reach would be a better choice..." Kurt smiled at him.

"Now we're talking."


	2. PomPom Power

I'm amazed at the amount of love I've already gotten ;) So here's the new chapter.

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><p>Chapter 2: PomPom Power.<p>

At the end of rehearsal it had been decided that Sam would go to Dalton. He was the only one of them who knew his way around private schools anyway. Kurt had google'd the school uniform and given the blonde a blue and red striped tie and black blazer. It wasn't completely accurate and Kurt's fashion sense was yelling at him, but with a black coat over it, it at least slightly _resembled_ the blue and red Dalton uniform. Kurt would have liked to go, despite all the drama earlier. What he said had been true though. He just had no time. Between homework, glee, cheerios and helping his dad in the shop, he was spreading himself thin. It was worth the effort, of course. Helping his dad gave him a little more to spend then his monthly allowance. He was dying to get those new Dr. Marten boots he saw in last week's Vogue.

Sam had returned with bad news. The Warblers were _good_. A serious threat to New Directions. He'd gathered that they had a lead singer called 'Bland or _something'_ and that they didn't seem to make distinction between gender of artist. Sam had witnessed a performance of 'Teenage Dream' by Katy Perry which almost the entire school showed up to see. Glee club was _popular_ at Dalton.

To make matters worse, there was a football game coming up. A football game meant that Cheerios practice would be worse than usual. AKA extra practices and new routines. The cheerleaders they were up against were apparently a big deal to Coach Sylvester and she had been scowling all week when the announcement came that the Crawford Country Day Cheetahs were cheering. They didn't have a football team themselves, but cheered for their sister school of which Kurt didn't remember hearing the name. It wasn't that important really. Football was what they cheered for, yes, but that didn't mean that the sport was of any interest to the cheerios. They cheered mostly for themselves.

They _did_ always try to outdo their competition. The way things were going, the Cheetahs didn't stand a chance. That is. They wouldn't have. The routine they had been working on for the past 2 weeks couldn't come through because one of the bases had gotten food poisoning and one of the flyers had broken her leg. Sue had been cranky all day but blew her top when she found out about Teresa not being able to continue cheerleading for the next 6 to 8 weeks, maybe longer depending on her recovery time.

"Hummel! Over here, before my ovaries fall off!" Kurt exchanged a nervous glance with Santana before walking over to their coach. "M6 12 routine. Now." She said icily. Kurt gulped but complied. He stepped back and did the step progressions. Stop. Left. Left. Right hand. Stop. Bow. Clap. He continued to do did it flawlessly. "Now sing during that routine. Do you know Adam Lambert?" Kurt nodded his head. "For Your Entertainment. Do it." Kurt took a deep breath and scrambled to remember the lyrics. This wasn't the time to have a nervous breakdown. If he didn't do this correctly he'd be off the squad before he could say 'Go Titans'.

Kurt guessed he was lucky that he had been _obsessed_ with Lambert's music before Gaga came along. He knew he would have to go lower than usual for this song so he cleared his throat and got into position. He cleared his mind of everything except the lyrics and steps. He counted carefully.

Stop. Left. Left. _So hot out the box_. Right hand. Stop. Bow. Clap. Sweep. Jump. He began. He sang 5 more lines before he came to the prechorus. How the hell was he supposed to _somersault_ while singing that line? He tried. It _worked._ Next line.

Kurt progressed through half of the song before his voice got breathier due to the rigorous routine. Sue stopped him. She was smirking as he tried to catch his breath. "You get 5 minutes to catch your breath. After that I want you to sing the whole song for me. Without dancing." Kurt nodded his head, trying to calm down his heaving chest as she walked over to the stereo installation. _Why the hell _was she targeting him today? Was this some kind of test? Or just a sadistic pleasure of hers?

"2 minutes left Porcelain," She called. Kurt's breathing was calming down as he leaned over. There must be something behind this.

He heard the opening notes of For Your Entertainment start playing as he straightened. She wanted him to sing with music? Fine. He would sing with music. He fell into the song, hours of vocal training paying off as he started in a lower register. It almost seemed easy now, without the routine.

Sue studied him as he gave his all. Her smirk seemed to widen as he sang. The other cheerios had stopped their practicing and lined behind him and started dancing at her command. He reached the high notes in the chorus and the bridge easily.

_I'm here for your entertainment_.

The song ended and Kurt sighed in relieve that it went well. It was a fun song. He'd always loved it, but hadn't been able to sing it with his register. With the vocal training and coaching, breathing exercises and constant moving his lung capacity and range had changed. He was able to hold notes longer and add vibrato now.

"Congrats, Porcelain. You are now our headliner against the Cheetahs! Now get back to work! I want a routine by Friday. _So help me,_ if you don't butcher yourselves working, I will _butcher_ you myself!" Kurt's heart was thudding in his ears. He was headliner. Freaking _headliner_. He would perform for the entire school again! And another! He felt faint. Excitement lit him up like a Christmas tree.

"Congratulations Lady face," Santana said grinning at him. He'd gotten closer to the Latina in the last few weeks. She had been reluctant to befriend him at first, but when he'd given her a few tips in skin and hair care she seemed to take a liking to him. She had said she'd always wanted to be someone's hag. Kurt didn't confirm that she was, because 'Cedes was still his number one. He avoided conflict this way and got a new partner in crime as a bonus

"Thanks Satan," he smiled.

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><p>The general atmosphere in glee club was at an all time low. Apparently the guys and Tina had taken to using Coach Beiste as a way to cool off when they got too hot and bothered. So the song they had chosen was now going to be an apology serenade for her. Kurt hadn't told anyone he was going to be the headliner for the half time show next week and Santana had convinced Brittany to keep her mouth shut. Kurt didn't know how she'd done it <em>exactly<em>, but didn't dare ask her.

Mr. Shue was very disappointed in them and chastised them for making Beiste almost quit her job. That must have been the reason why Sue was so amused today. The girls' song had been amazing. He wished he could have been a part of that but alas. Not everything went as he wanted. Their own song decisions, The Supremes and En Vogue had satisfied Kurt to no end. He'd gotten all the boys in suits, too.

Karofsky still harassed him in the hallways, but never touched him again. Sue seemed even more protective of her squad when some form of competition came up. Quinn had been vicious and mean to him all week, because of him getting the headliner and singing when he'd only been back on the cheerios for a few weeks. She didn't seem to like it when people stepped into her spotlight. Not that it was hers to begin with, but still. He was hurting all over from practice and had to drink tea with honey and sugar every night to keep his voice from going raspy. It was worth the effort. Their coach was a slave driver but she got stuff _done_.

"I can't wait to see your performance with the cheerios Kurt!" He hadn't told her he was singing, but did tell her they would be performing that night. Mercedes was his biggest fan and supported him going back to the cheerleading team. She seemed to be the only one who noticed the harassment and had almost gone head to head with Azimio, fighting against the bullying. She still didn't understand though. No one did. Sure, she had been harassed too, but not as much as Kurt. She hadn't been thrown in to dumpsters since the first day of freshman year or slammed in the lockers at every opportunity.

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><p><em>Dalton Academy Private school, Senior commons.<em>

"I _know _you're playing David! So is Jeff. That doesn't mean that my History essay is going to write itself." Blaine Anderson stated to his friend. David sighed.

"_Come on_ Blaine! A little fun once in a while won't kill you. And besides, you are a straight A student. _One_ essay for history isn't going to kill your GPA. And I thought you _liked_ football." It was Blaine's turn to sigh in annoyance. They were right of course. Sitting in the dorms and doing homework wasn't exactly fun, but keeping his grades up was important to him.

"Aren't the Titans a sucky team, though? I heard they only won 1 game last year and that was because of some miraculous dance routine and a kicker who instantly quit the team after winning them the match," David shook his head.

"Apparently, the Titans got themselves a new coach. Have been unbeatable ever since the beginning of the year." Blaine looked thoughtful for a second before bowing his head in defeat.

"Okay. I'll come, but _only_ if I'm not going to be alone there." Wes snorted, sitting down at their table,

"Alone? Almost the entire academy is going to be at that game, if you'd get your head out of your books and sheet music for once you'd notice." Blaine ignored his comment.

"You'd better win this game. You know it's a 2 hour drive to Lima and I want them to feel the wrath of the Tigers for daring to send a spy." Blaine closed his book and got up. He waved them goodbye and walked out of the elaborate mahogany doors. The Warbler council had chastised him for bringing in a spy to watch their performance, but the blonde hadn't looked happy at their performance. Blaine's gaydar had been going off, seeing the guy's hair but had quieted down when he opened his _slightly_ larger than normal mouth to speak. He'd introduced himself as Sam, a new student transferring in from the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville.

When Blaine had commented on his costume, a nervous laugh and a 'My uniform hasn't been fitted yet' eased Blaine's worries. Blaine had lead the bigger boy to the senior commons where he performed Teenage Dream. He'd flirted a little during the song but his advances were greeted with a frown. The blonde didn't look too happy and Blaine saw him getting out a phone to text someone. Blaine turned around in the choreography and turned back around.

The blonde was nowhere to be seen. Blaine realized it had been a spy for one of the schools. Probably McKinley. The hipsters wouldn't have fit in this easily between the students, being old people and all. It made Blaine feel pretty stupid and annoyed. He hoped the Dalton Academy Tigers would defeat them. Sam, if that even was his real name, hadn't looked too happy during Teenage Dream and it made Blaine smile a little. That meant that the Warblers were seen as a real threat, not as lousy and easy competition. The New Directions hadn't made it past the regional rounds last year, but so hadn't the Warblers.

Blaine entered the dorm building without breaking step. Maybe he'd get that essay done before tomorrow night.

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><p>Tomorrow night was the night.<p>

McKinley had been buzzing about the upcoming game against the Dalton Academy Tigers all day. Kurt was worried. Sam had gone over to spy on their glee club and had gotten away unscathed, but they would probably still recognize him and his hair. He was nervous as hell, too. They had the choreography down to a T, but 3 basket tosses and a lift at the same time were pretty hard to synchronize. It did look bloody amazing though. He knew the cheerios were trained professionals. It made him even happier to be a part of such a well oiled machine.

The apology to Beiste had gone over well, even though Kurt had found it incredibly shallow. The guys could be real assholes and always got away with it easily. The boy walked over to his closet and got out his pajama pants. He'd taken to sleeping topless. Sleeping under cashmere sheets wasn't the same with a shirt on. He sat down at his boudoir and started his skin care routine. A picture of him and his dead sat between his skincare products. His dad was coming over to see the game with Carole and to cheer Finn and him on. Burt knew Kurt had rejoined the Cheerios and was proud of him for doing his utter best to help him in the shop, cooking healthy non-fat foods every night and making him avoid caffeine and salt. He still whined about being unable to get his usual morning coffee but Kurt hadn't given in.

"I've really gotten older," he muttered to himself as he compared the photo with his reflection. He was taller, his jaw was more defined and his shoulders broader. He didn't know what he'd been thinking with that haircut last year. A tiny drop of water based gel and hairspray did wonders to his mousy brown coiffure.

He finished his routine and crawled into bed, closing his eyes for sleep. Tomorrow night was the night.


	3. The Game to End All

_I noticed a TON of mistakes in the second chapter, so I'll come back and fix those later. If you notice any mistakes: Let me know. I'm not one of those authors who believe their work to be invincible. _

_Don't be afraid to point them out! I don't have a beta and English is not my native language. I am not from the United States, UK or any other English speaking country nor am I incredibly informed about the US educational system, as the one I've grown up in is different. I have also never seen, played or followed a football game. Google is my best friend._

Edit: I've spellchecked everything again but haven't read them over, so if you see any grammatical errors: Let me know.

Shout out to all the people that reviewed! I love you guys :)

Don't own glee.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: The Game to end all.<strong>

Kurt was having a nervous breakdown. He had slept and eaten as much food as he could keep down, knowing he'd be unable to eat much through out the day. Sure he'd performed before. He'd just never performed on his own and while the half-time show _was_ a group effort, that didn't mean he wasn't singing an entire song by himself for at least a hundred people. The pre-show jitters still hadn't settled when Kurt walked into English class that morning and he didn't eat much at lunch. It was an important game for the Titans, too. The Dalton Tigers were, next to the Carmel High Cannons, one of the best teams in Ohio and tough opponents to beat.

Tension was high. Glee club had been cancelled in favour of the football and cheerleading practices, as the majority of their club was either on the football team or the Cheerios. Kurt had noticed of course. He found it pretty ironic that glee club, one of the most unpopular clubs at McKinley, consisted mostly of 'popular' people.

He accompanied Mercedes to her locker, quietly talking about Johnny Depp's latest movie and Marc Jacobs' spring collection. It calmed some of his nerves. "White boy, why you so antsy? You've performed before! Is there something you ain't telling me?" she said, clearly curious. Kurt cleared his throat and smiled,

"It's just that horrifying sweater Rachel was wearing this morning. It's pitiful that fashion sense could slap her in the overly large nose and she'd still miss it, poor thing." He said, nothing giving him away. The Cheerio rehearsals were kept private for a reason. If Jew fro got wind of him singing the lead in the show, it would stir up a storm. Sue had been protective of him, but couldn't be there all the time. The jocks were still bullying him, they were just a little sneakier then they were before.

They avoided him when he was with other people but still slammed him into the lockers when he was alone, ugly barbs and homophobic comments whispered menacingly. It scared Kurt. He didn't know what they would have done, had he _not _been on the Cheerios. Some of them had backed off since he re-joined the squad, some seemed to redouble their efforts. Azimio still made his life a living hell.

Karofsky just looked on. He didn't do anything, but Kurt still noticed him staring. It was unnerving. He'd show up at random places that Kurt frequented and just _gaze_ at the him until Kurt got nervous and left the room.

He'd let it slide, seeing as Karofsky wasn't harming him by looking, but it still made him stomach fill with dread. It felt like Karofksy was planning something. Kurt zoned back into the conversation, Mercedes still rattling off about some new R&B artist she'd found on youtube. He loved 'Cedes to death. She'd noticed that Kurt zoned out, but had given him the time to order his thoughts. He would love to see her face during the show. She was one of his greatest fans and he one of hers. Rachel's expression would be hilarious too, for that matter. She was coming to the game to support Finn. Rachel was tolerable at best, most of the time, and only when there wasn't a competition for 'her' spotlight.

Her probable diva fit when Kurt charmed the audience with his performance would amuse him for days on end. But he wasn't naïve. This was probably a one-time thing. Sue never had a front man or woman. The Cheerios were a machine. A cold hearted, efficient cheer and dance machine. They rotated their fronts. Quinn had been head cheerleader for a short time but Sue had banned the position when she found out the blonde was pregnant. Their coach said she couldn't trust anyone with the position anymore, as a certain Barbie-with-bun-in-oven had betrayed her.

Quinn had been back on the team for a time, earlier then him, but never seemed to be trusted with big things again. Kurt knew he was lucky. Santana was a great singer too and Brittany could dance everyone out of a room without breaking a sweat. He was talented, of that he was sure. But they had it too. Mercedes had stopped talking and was looking at him.

"Sorry I'm so out of it 'Cedes, my schedule's getting to me," He said with a sigh. " I barely get any me time anymore. I had to cut my skin care routine short last week, because I was so tired. _You know_ how I hate cutting it short. I love my skin and I want it to keep _soft._ And the _muscle aches_. You saw much last year, but we weren't on long enough to get her full treatment. My body is _not_ supposed to be able to bend in the ways that she drills us to do." Mercedes was grinning.

"You learn anything new then? Oooh I can't wait to see it tonight. And the work out's paid off. Look at your _arms_." The diva grabbed his left arm and squeezed the muscles. She looked at his biceps in amazement. "If you weren't playin' the other team, I'd tap that boo," she said finally, before letting go. Kurt chuckled, fighting the urge to think back on the beginning of last year, when Mercedes had a crush on him.

"I'm sure you would hun, _especially_ when you see the new Marc Jacobs vest I ordered last week. It fits so well. You wouldn't _believe_ how amazing it looks with those white jeans I got on our last shopping trip," He crossed his arms, "Are we still on for next weekend? I'm almost running out of that skin cream we got from that little boutique in West Lima." Mercedes nodded her head.

"You pick me up at 11 and we'll go check out the new mall. They're opening it that weekend," she hopped up and down in excitement. Kurt had all but forgotten about the new mall being opened this weekend, being as busy as he was.

"I almost forgot all about it! See what cheerleading is doing to me? I forgot about the mall. _This is disastrous._" He scowled in annoyance. "We are _so_ going there, even is it'll be filled with kids and old people for the opening." The bell rang and Kurt hugged Mercedes goodbye before going off to Spanish.

The curriculum at McKinley was so very unchallenging to him. He was near fluid in French, which was close to Spanish. He took both of them, while most people only chose one. It almost didn't do anything for his time, as he finished his French homework earlier then most.

Spanish class was a pain. Mr. Shue was endlessly trying to get them to remember simple verbs and pronunciation. The more advanced students did extra course work or had to read a Spanish book. Kurt was happy he didn't have to concentrate in this class. The were stuck on the same subjects for weeks on end and Shuester's lesson plans were dreadfully boring too. Just like in glee club. He wasn't a genius, he just did his homework on time and didn't feel challenged with the sub-par education at this school.

He felt himself drifting into daydreams. The show tonight could either go really well, or really bad. He hoped for the first. He surveyed the classroom. He didn't understand why half of the people even bothered to show up. The little homework and studying they had to do was left neglected by most of them. Mr Shue didn't bother picking up homework assignments anymore, as he knew that two thirds of his class didn't do them.

He hated classes like this. At least with calculus he had Tina and Mercedes. He was in higher classes in most others as they were a year younger.

"That's it for today _classe_! Hope to see you at the game tonight. If not, _adios_ until next week," the Spanish teacher interrupted his thoughts just before the bell rung, signalling the end of the last period. Kurt placed his books in the messenger bag he'd bought with Mercedes a few weeks ago and straightened his uniform. There was a strict policy that Cheerios had to wear their uniform at least 3 days of the week. It was getting to him, that he couldn't dress the way he wanted all the time, but he made due with the Mondays and Fridays. One awesome outfit of his choosing to start the week and one to close it with flair.

"Good luck with the Cheerios tonight, Kurt," he heard Mr. Schuester say. Kurt nodded his head in thanks before leaving the classroom.

If only they knew.

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><p>Driving all the way from Dalton to Lima was a pain. It took him a fair few hours and Blaine prayed that the game would be worth the time. He'd gotten his essay finished on time but had to pull an almost all-nighter. The Lima Bean had been a saviour for his energy. Coffee always made him wake up. He knew he was addicted to the beverage, but couldn't begin to care. He would murder someone if he didn't get his morning coffee.<p>

Blaine was not having his day. He'd overslept as a first. He'd ran out of hair gel and didn't have enough time to go to the store to buy some, so he had to go without today. He didn't get to finish his English paper so that had him moody too and everything on the radio seemed too giddy. They were _mocking_ him and his tragic existence. Blaine hadn't heard from Jeremiah yet, either. They'd gone out for coffee last week, at insistence of Thad, who's brother had apparently been friends with the gap employee when he was in high school. He'd been happy to finally meet another gay person. He hadn't met anyone like Jeremiah and while the guy wasn't as out and proud as Blaine would like him to be, it was improvement.

Unfortunately, he was a few years older than Blaine and already in college. That made dating the older man practically illegal. They had flirted, yes. But Blaine knew it couldn't progress much further. It was nice to have someone to relate to for once.

Blaine rode up to McKinley high and looked around. He had a hard time finding a spot to park his car but eventually found one a little way's away from the school. It seemed that football was very important at this school. He adjusted his scarf and walked towards the school building in anticipation. He hoped he would be able to find his friends in the crowd.

The stands were filled to the brim with people. Kurt had a hard time finding his dad and Carole in the stands but eventually found them sitting together in the middle, Rachel rattling Carole's ear off and he smiled at her faked interest. He knew that look all too well. Rachel might be Finn's current girlfriend but that would probably not last long. Their relationship was stable, _at the moment_. Meaning some way or another, Quinn would come in between them again (even if she was with Sam at the moment, that probably wouldn't last) and then they'd date a couple of months before breaking up again and Rachel's relationship would resume.

It would be all kinds of drama in the glee club again. Their lives seemed almost like a soap opera. Going off and on and everyone dating everyone. Hell. Even Kurt had strayed from his lifestyle once, going out with Brittany. It hadn't been terrible spending time with her but he just_ couldn't_ rock butch-chic. It didn't flatter him at all.

Rehearsal had been gruelling. Sue made them work and grovel like dogs. This routine was important to her. She wanted to defeat the Cheetahs very badly. Kurt had only found out while stretching with Brittany at the start of the continuous work out.

"Coach has a grudge against their coach. I think they were in highs school together." Kurt looked intrigued.

"What happened between them?" he asked curiously.

"Coach Mantell was head cheerleader at their school. Coach Sylvester wanted to join their cheerleading squad but Regina Mantell didn't want that and humiliated her in front of the whole school," Santana budded in, slipping into a split like it was the easiest thing in the world."It was nasty. I have only heard rumours about pictures and exposing herself in front of the whole school. It was enough to turn her sour forever." The Latina spoke with a smirk. "Ever since her high school years, coach Sylvester has made it her mission to not only have a national champion team but to rub it in Mantell's face every time. So far, she's succeeded."

Kurt sat down and bowed to the front, flattening his chest against his stretched legs and wrapping his hands around his feet. The stretch was uncomfortable but necessary if he wanted to survive practice. He was surprised. He'd figured Sue would have been top dog in high school, but she had been bullied. It gave him new respect for the dictator like woman, but he swore he'd _never_ become bitter like she was.

His attention went back to the game. He hadn't forgotten the coming performance but spaced out for just a bit. He could see red and blue football players running up and down the field for warm up. The game had started about 10 minutes ago, the coin toss making the Titans the first offensive. They weren't really struggling against the Tigers and seemed evenly matched with them. Kurt wasn't worried. Coach Beiste was an amazing coach and had drilled the boys like Coach Sylvester did to the Cheerios.

When the first points were scored the stands erupted in deafening applause and sound. The Cheerios stood up to cheer for the Titans and he saw the Cheetahs looking sour. Kurt hoped it would last.

* * *

><p>McKinley scored the first points but by half time were 10 points behind. Blaine was glad he came to the game. It was quality football. He'd read about the Titans being one of the worst teams in Ohio months ago, almost making one of the worst in the States, which was saying something seeing as most high schools had a team, but the new coach had performed wonders. The Tigers had been lucky with their touch down and fieldgoal, getting them 10 points ahead of the Titans. Their competition still had many chances to get them and Blaine hoped the Tigers won. The parties would be <em>glorious<em>.

When the Tigers had defeated 5 consecutive teams, the football had thrown a party. It had been amazing and the atmosphere had been infectious. Blaine couldn't remember all that happened that night, but had apparently sung Katy Perry and Lady Gaga while stripping. He'd found a 20 dollar bill in his underwear with a red lipstick stain on it and a phone number. The cashier at the drug store had laughed his ass off when he'd handed it over to him to pay for some aspirin.

Blaine straightened from where he sat next to Wes. It had taken him the first 5 minutes of the game to find the Asian teen, but found him sitting next to a brown haired girl who seemed to be rattling about 'Finn' and how proud she was of him being quarterback and that McKinley was totally going to win. Wes had spared him a hopeless look and Blaine had laughed. "Go Dalton Tigers," he'd said smiling and Wes handed him a soda with a chuckle. The brown haired girl had huffed and turned to talk with the woman next to her. He'd seen the elder sigh and close her eyes a little, preparing for a long evening. Wes mouthed a silent thank you to her and she almost imperceptibly nodded and gave a little smile.

Blaine's eyes trained themselves on the field as the Crawford cheerleaders got into formation. He recognised Elise, David's girlfriend and Jennifer, Wes' girlfriend. Wes had told him that they had a silent competition going with the McKinley High Cheerios. Jennifer had been fussing about it all week and it had driven Wes nuts. Elise was more assured of the superiority, even if the Cheerios had 'cheated themselves to the national champions title.' The Cheetahs were a good team. Blaine had seen them practice a few times. He was curious what the Cheerios would bring to the table.

The Cheetahs did a routine to Kesha's 'We R who we R' but messed up on one of the flyers timing. It still got the crowd jumping in their seats. Wes was cheering hard. It was adorable. His friend was totally whipped, in a good way. Jennifer was a very nice girl and she and Wes completed each other. They were a good couple.

The applause died down a little when the Cheerios stepped onto the field and got into their formation, their backs to the stands, standing in a half circle around a brown haired boy.

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><p>This was it. Kurt felt his heart beating against his chest as he got into formation, Santana and Brittany flanking him and the rest of the Cheerios surrounding him. He took a deep breath to steady himself as someone announced them. He exchanged a nervous glance with Brittany but she smiled at him and winked. She may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she was a sweet heart.<p>

Kurt clenched his fists and hardened his resolve. '_Focus, Hummel. You can do this. You have practiced this for weeks, sung yourself horse and danced yourself sore. You will_ kill_ this number.' _he thought to himself. He felt the microphone taped to his cheek, fastened with care and practiced to keep on even doing somersaults or something of the like. He'd been terrified of breaking it at first. They were expensive.

Kurt looked sideways towards the coach and she gifted him with a smile. His nerves were almost gone now. He signalled for the music to begin and smiled to himself. This was it. His moment. He took a deep breath and started to sway.


	4. The Half Time Show Stopper

I'm blown away by the positive response this story has received! I love you guys so much and sorry for leaving it as a cliff-hanger. I found it the perfect spot to stop the chapter. Don't worry! You'll get what you want in this chapter!

Someone commented about the M rating being for violence or a bad ending. I assure you, it will only be for sexual themes and maybe flashbacks to earlier harassment. If it _does_ go somewhere violent, I'll be sure to put a warning here to make sure you don't freak out when it happens.

This chapter features a few thoughts and _mature_ themes regarding 'being turned on'. If that gets your knickers in a twist, get away from this fic _right now_. There _will_ be sexual themes later on. Just a fair warning.

Enjoy reading and drop a review ;) They motivate me to get out chapters sooner.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: The Half Time Show Stopper<strong>

The speakers started blaring the thick beat and the Cheerios started moving to its rhythm, perfectly in sync. Coach had told them to go all out and _really _entertain their audience. Kurt did the carefully trained moves as Santana and Brittany ran in opposite directions, somersaulting and jumping. '_Time to play.'_ Were his last thoughts as he snapped his head up and turned around.

Kurt jumped up in sync with the other cheerleaders doing a toe-touch and sang, which swept the stands up in frenzy.

_So hot out the box, can you keep up the pace?_

_Turn it up, heat it up I need to be entertained._

The moves were complicated and involved a lot of hip movement, which Kurt had down pad thanks to rigorous practice. Breathing exercises had been the biggest part of his training the last few weeks. Dancing and jumping while singing made your voice stutter and breathing difficult. His stamina and lung capacity had improved a lot.

_Push the limit, are you in it_

_Baby don't be afraid_

_Imma hurt you real good baby_

He trusts his hips forward at the line and rolled his shoulders back, two Cheerios flanking him again, doing the exact same movements and flicking their ponytails. This was so much _fun_. They moved like a machine, everything timed perfectly.

_Let's go, it's my show _

_Baby do what I say_

He trust up his arms in a high V, down into a broken T to a low V, sidestepping. He sang the next line with conviction, '_don't trip off the bits that I'm gonna display,' _while kicking up his right leg, completely straight. It didn't hurt anymore thanks to stretching and Kurt was smug about it because he knew most guys weren't that flexible.

_I told you, Imma hold you down until you're amazed_

_Give it to you till you're screaming my name_

He didn't have to turn around to know the catchers and flyers were doing a good job, when the audience burst into the applause. Quinn had landed okay. Everything was going well, but it was only the first few lines, there were a ton of times were they could possibly mess up.

_No escaping when I start_

_Once I'm in I own your heart_

_There's no way you'll ring the alarm_

Kurt took a deep breath and belted the last line of the verse.

_So hold on until it's over!_

Santana and Brittany joined him in the chorus, singing from different sides of the field. They back-flipped at the same time as Kurt, while the rest of the Cheerios danced around him.

_Oh! Do you know what you got into? _

_Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do?_

'_Cause it's about to get rough for you_

_I'm here for your entertainment._

Half of the squad circled around him and Kurt put up his hands, palms down. They dropped when he pointed them toward their backs. It was similar to puppets dropping with the hands of their master.

_Oh! I bet you thought that I was soft and sweet_

_You thought an angel swept you off your feet_

_Well, I'm about to turn up the heat_

_I'm here for your entertainment!_

* * *

><p>Blaine's breathing stuttered. This guy was just…<em>wow.<em> His whole face had lid up in excitement as soon as he recognized the song. Adam Lambert had always been a personal favorite of Blaine's, right next to his Katy Perry and Roxy music. This guy was _killing_ it. The intricate dance moves and the '_oh god_ so _flexible,' _Blaine had trouble even keeping up with his own thoughts.

He knew he shouldn't like this as much as he did but _damn_, that boy could dance _and_ sing. Screw the Cheetahs. It seemed most of the audience agreed with his sentiment, the majority being McKinley. Blaine couldn't even force himself to look away at the Cheetahs sitting on the benches. They were probably seething in jealous rage. The Cheerios had male cheerleaders who made complicated stunts possible, unlike with the Cheetahs who only had girls. Blaine had seen a lot of the Cheerio girls being thrown into the air like goddamn feathers- and_ oh holy mother of Jesus_ they were _singing _and doing bloody _back flips_ at the same. time.

When the singer gave a flirty smile to the audience Blaine almost died. The brown haired girl was practically shitting herself in excitement next to Wes and he couldn't blame her, because that boy was _stunning_. Even Wes was gaping. The boy was amazing, but the girls were too. They probably trained a lot, as they were all dancing with incredible strength and timing. He could see a few of them circle the singer and- '_Isn't that part of the choreography of the music video?' _Blaine almost felt sorry for the Cheetahs if this was their competition for Nationals, but he didn't because the Cheerio singer had started gyrating his hips into that of one of the girls and started the new verse with even more power then before. He seemed to gain confidence as he sang.

'_Sall right, you'll be fine _

_Baby I'm in control _

_Take the pain take the pleasure _

_I'm the master of both_

God. Blaine wanted the guy to be in control of him _very badly._ This had to be some kind of dream. This couldn't be real. This was too intense to be really happening. Their show was almost strip club material, but kept away from being downright dirty by the classical cheer moves. Blaine didn't know their names but knew that a girl rotating in the air 3 times after being thrown required skill and they had done it to music with what seemed like no effort.

And the singer had so much _sex_. His body and voice were oozing it. The field was _his _and so was the audience. This guy had to be popular, if the crowd was any way to go by.

_Oh!_

_Do you know what you got into?_

_Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do?_

'_Cause it's about to get rough for you_

_I'm here for your entertainment. _

They were doing one of the moves from the music video again, while the guys in the back were throwing up 4 girls right after the other. They all did a different move. Blaine barely spared them a glance, his eyes on the singer.

_Oh! I bet you thought that I was soft and sweet_

_You thought an angel swept you off your feet_

_But I'm about to turn up the heat_

_I'm here for your entertainment. _

Holy shit that was _high_. The singer disappeared into what seemed like a wall of bodies moving to the beat. The rest of the Cheerios chimed in with _Oh'_s and Blaine could see something happening in the back. They were chanting 'entertainment' and Blaine could hear a- _holy shit_ was that still the guy singing? The wall divided into 5 little groups and Blaine could finally see what was happening. The singer was getting ready to get tossed.

_He was getting ready to get tossed._

The notes and power washed over Blaine, the singer's 'Do you like what you see?' chiming in his ears and making his breath quicken. That guy had _talent._ He could see two guys getting ready and in position to put him in the air and Blaine stopped breathing altogether.

_Let me entertain you till you're _

_SCREAMING!_

They tossed the girls into the air right as he belted. Fucking _belted _while standing on one leg, on a pair of hands_. _In the _air_. This guy was insane. The audience was deafening, screaming and clapping in sheer excitement. He could hear the brown haired girl screaming at the top of her lungs. _Kurt_. That was his name. That _amazing_ singer and dancer who had limbs as flexible ash freaking spaghetti was named Kurt. The last verse was sung by the whole team.

_Oh! I bet you thought that I was soft and sweet_

_You thought an angel swept you off your feet_

_But I'm about to turn up the heat_

_I'm here for your entertainment._

The audience was completely silent for all of 2 seconds before blowing up in applause and screaming. Blaine stood up with them, clapping just as enthusiastically. He could care less about the glare Wes was giving him, or the soda that spilled on his polished shoes. The only thought in his head was '_Kurt, Kurt, Kurt, Kurt.' _he didn't even register the crowd around him chiming Titans, his own mantra never stopping.

Kurt was panting heavily eyes widened at the applause. This was more then he expected. He had given it his all. He could see coach Sylvester smirking in accomplishment and glaring at what had to be the Cheetahs' coach in vindictive glee. He gave a mock salute and a smile at the glaring cheerleading team on the benches. He curtsied the audience and Santana and Brittany ran over to hug him.

"You killed it Lady Face," Santana said kissing him on the cheek, leaving a bright red print.

"Thanks Satan," he smiled at her and Brittany before walking over to the bleachers.

Blaine's smile fell as he watched the black haired girl kiss Kurt on the cheek. He was smiling sweetly at her and talking to her, walking off to the bleachers. _'Why are all the good ones straight?'_ he silently thought to himself. Blaine shrugged of the disappointment with a sigh. It hadn't mattered anyway. He was just a face in the crowd who was supposed to be cheering for the other team. When he couldn't see the boy anymore, he sat back down next to a still sitting Wes. His ears registered talking next to him.

"Oh Carole! Kurt and I _have to_ sing a duet for sectionals! I didn't know his range was that big!" the brown haired girl spoke filled with excitement. Blaine and Wes gave each other a glance. This guy was in the_ glee club_? They came to an unvoiced agreement, communicating with only their gazes. If the rest of their club was anything like this, they could kiss nationals goodbye. He could hear a gruff voice from next to the woman.

"I didn't know my boy could sing like that," Blaine cocked his head to the side and saw a baseball cap. "He almost gave me a heart attack with that backflip though. I remember when he was dancing single ladies last year, he's improved a lot." The brown haired girl spoke again. She noticed his stare and smiled. He quickly looked away.

"Did you enjoy the show? I haven't seen you around here before! My name's Rachel Berry, rising star and next Barbra Streisand!" She said extending her hand. Blaine took it hesitatingly.

"I'm Blaine. This is Wes," he said cocking his head to the Asian teen. "We're here for the Tigers." He instantly regretted reminding her when she blinked and narrowed her eyes raising an eyebrow.

"You were clapping pretty hard for the wrong cheering team," she said smiling wide. Blaine felt his face heat up as he sputtered.

"T-They were, uhm, they were pretty good." He cleared his throat, trying to mask his awkwardness at being caught unawares. He sighed in relieve when someone whistled and the football players got back onto the field. The girl's attention turned back to the game and Blaine relaxed. He was face to face with a glaring Wes. Blaine flinched. He'd totally forgotten about Jennifer being on the opposite team. "Can you really blame me? That was kind of amazing." He said in a whisper. Wes' glare eased and he let out a breath.

"I will get so much shit my way this week from Jennifer. She'll expect me to boost her confidence for days to come." Blaine patted his friend's shoulder in sympathy, before looking over to the benches again.

* * *

><p>Kurt was happier than he'd been in a long time. He'd spotted his dad and Carole sitting next to Rachel at the beginning of the game but hadn't seen Mercedes and Tina. He stood up and searched the stands with his eyes for his best friend. While sweeping over the crowd he noticed Rachel talking to the guys sitting next to her. One of them was Asian and the other was… <em>wow<em>. '_Hello gorgeous._' Kurt swallowed. It was pretty far away, but he could see loose brown curls and broad shoulders and a red scarf. He couldn't look away as Rachel shook her head and narrowed her eyes saying something and then wearing a shit-eating grin. The guy seemed to be fumbling to reply to what she'd said, gesturing with his hands in an awkward manner.

Kurt heard the whistle behind him and sat down again, this time in a place on the bench where he had perfect vision of the stands. He sat with no particular flair, the adrenaline having worn off some time ago. He looked back up to the stands and caught the guy's eyes. He couldn't see what color they were and he cocked his head to the side. He could see the guy sitting up a little straighter. Kurt knew it wasn't polite to stare, but he couldn't look away. Acting completely on impulse he waved a little.

The guy_ waved back._ Kurt couldn't suppress the smile. He felt a nudge against his shoulder and saw Santana sitting down next to him. She was wiggling her eyebrows and pointed at the guy Kurt had been staring at.

"He was staring at you during the dance too, looked like a love sick puppy." Kurt almost swallowed his own tongue and looked up at Santana in surprise.

"Are you serious?" He asked incredulously. She hummed in confirmation.

"Curly probably wanted to lick dem abs," she said, pocking him in the stomach. "If you ever go through a straight phase again, we have to hook up," Kurt looked at her in disgust.

"No way that's ever going to happen. I like men, thank you very much." She smirked devilishly at him and winked.

"You never know, _chico,_" she stroked his arm, "Nobody can resist my Latina charms." Kurt knew she was joking now and looked back up at the stands. The guy was glaring at Santana like she'd murdered his whole family. Kurt felt his heart flutter but squashed it down. He didn't even know the guy's _name_, he shouldn't be feeling like this. He turned back around when the stands cheered for McKinley. Some of the Cheerios stood up to do some cheers.

He kept exchanging glances with the curly haired stranger for the rest of the game, never noticing Santana getting out her phone and texting Rachel with a smirk on her face.

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><p>I hope you guys liked this chapter and I lived up to your expectations. This <em>certainly <em>isn't the end of my or Santana's scheming, I assure you.

Drop a review and Brittany will get you a bulging funsack ;)

Xoxo,

The Barista.

ps. Thanks to the kind neko-in-tears for giving me some tips on the dialogue, hope it's more readable now :)


	5. Hello Stranger

**HELP:** I'm looking for a beta/proofread/editor that knows his/her spelling, grammar and story structures to help me proofread the chapters before I put them online. This means if you become my beta, I will send you the chapter a few days beforehand. If you think you're qualified for the job I will give you a text with a few spelling and consistency errors to see if you pick up on them. I will send you my email by private message if I think you're qualified. As of now, I am using online grammar and spelling checkers, which are faulty and don't get out all the mistakes. _I really need a beta._

As of yet, I don't have a regular update schedule. My exams were last week and I'm writing as much as I can, now that I have some free time. This probably means that updates will become slightly irregular over the next course of weeks, as my normal school schedule is resuming. I will try to upload at least once a week, but I can't guarantee anything.

I love the reviews that were posted and I urge you to keep leaving feedback and throwing love my way so I can be a happy klainer!

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Hello stranger.<strong>

McKinley won. The Cheerios' show had made them regain confidence and helped them win the game by 3 points. Kurt was ecstatic. This evening couldn't have gone better. The performance had gone without a hitch and he was proud of that. The whole school was having post-game parties at their houses or others. Kurt had been amazed at the number of invitations he'd gotten over the span of a hour. He had _never_ been invited to these kinds of parties before. And he hadn't wanted to go anyway. He only had bad memories of alcohol and he shied away from it. Throwing up on your guidance counselor did that to a person. Those parties were only booze and hooking up at a random football player's house.

Mercedes hadn't stopped talking for the past 10 minutes, saying things like 'Why didn't you tell me, Hummel!' and 'You knocked the audience of its feet, boo. I didn't know you could go that low and high!' Tina had been smiling and had given her own compliments with a little more decorum than Mercedes' yelling in excitement. His dad and Carole had come over too, after congratulating Finn on the Titans winning the game. His father hadn't been as happy as he expected him to be.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, kid! Jumping in the air like that!" Kurt had raised an eyebrow.

"I've been practicing that for _weeks_. The only thing that could've gone wrong was if the catchers hadn't been there on time, which they _were._ And stop joking about heart attacks." Burt had huffed but smiled.

"You did great kid. I didn't know you could sing _that_ high. I'm proud of you." Kurt preened under the attention. He _loved_ this. The way his friends were smiling and proud of him, the way the audience had reacted to his singing. He wanted that. He finally partially understood where Rachel got the drive to perform. It was thrilling to sing and dance in front of an audience like this. His hard work had paid off.

When Burt and Carole had gone home after setting a curfew for both Finn and Kurt, which Finn protested against heavily, Kurt had gone to the locker rooms to shower and put on a new outfit. _If _he was going to a party, he would go in style. He wasn't planning on drinking if he could help it, but going to a party with Santana kind of threw a wrench in the works.

When he stepped out in a fresh outfit, his hair perfectly in place, he was met with an almost empty parking lot. Everyone had obviously already left for one of the parties or gone home. Santana had given him the address of one of the houses, but the paper felt heavy in his pocket.

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><p>McKinley won by three points. Blaine was slightly disappointed but not enough for it to really bother him. It had been a good game that he hadn't really been concentrating on all that much, for the second half. Kurt had disappeared with the crowds of cheerleaders, jocks and partying fans some time ago and Blaine was kind of disappointed he hadn't been able to go down and congratulate him on their school winning. It had been kind of a ridiculous thought too, though. Kurt didn't know his name or where he was from. He was also kind of their competition for sectionals. Which made Blaine's fascination all that more cause for concern.<p>

He made his way to the green car his mom had gotten him for his sixteenth birthday last year. It didn't fit him at all. It was a car a soccer mom would drive and Blaine kind of disliked the rumble it made starting up. His dad had waved his complaint about it, saying it was a normal car sound.

The engine roared to life when he turned the key in the ignition. It stayed running for all of 10 seconds before giving a groan and stopping. Blaine cursed his luck. Just when he started thinking about how much he disliked the car, it died on him. He must have done something horrible in his previous life. Karma was a bitch. He tried three times before giving up and getting out of the car, pulling off his scarf.

He popped the hood and tried his best to remember the one summer his father had him built a car with him. He cursed loudly. It was dark and this engine was _different_ and why the hell was this happening? He cursed his dad and his mom for getting such a crappy car for him when he knew they were practically swimming in cash. Dalton was an expensive school. Stupid excuses about responsibility were what they'd given him along with the keys.

"Until you're a good enough driver you'll drive in this car," Blaine imitated his mother in a high-pitched voice. "Good enough driver my ass," He cussed. He kicked one of the tires in frustration.

He turned back to the driver's seat to get out his phone from the bag on the passenger's seat. He'd just opened the door when he heard footsteps. He didn't turn around, opening the door and bending over.

"Do you need any help?" a soft voice asked. He almost hit his head on the car roof accidentally. He got out his phone and got out of the green _car of doom_. He turned around eyes on the screen.

"Yeah, my car won't-" He looked up into the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. Oh _god_. It was Kurt. "…start." He finished lamely, throat suddenly dry. The boy had obviously changed out of his uniform and it gave Blaine a new reason to curse. He was wearing black skinny jeans that looked freaking _painted on_, a grey knitted scarf was loosely draped around his shoulders and neck on a pale blue-grey coat that fit snugly around his chest and _Jesus. _The guy recognized him. He swallowed thickly. "You're the singer," Kurt nodded his head in confirmation.

"You were staring at me during the second half." The Cheerio said, amused by Blaine's flustered attitude. Hell, Kurt knew he was slightly flustered and unbelieving too. Stuff like this only happened in movies. Blaine struggled with what to say. Kurt was standing _right there_ in all his glory and he was just _bumbling_ like a… like a _fangirl_. He cleared his throat and tried his best to shake off the nerves.

"You were kind of amazing, it was hard not to stare," he could have bashed himself in the head for _flirting_ with a straight man. But Kurt blushed prettily and thanked him,

"I don't usually sing in that register. Girl songs seem to fit me better, but thank you." Kurt found the situation kind of surreal. This guy had been staring at him for most of the game and Kurt was not be used to these kinds of _happenings_, you know… people actively admiring him, but he sure as hell knew he liked this guy. So he took a leap of faith.

"I'm Kurt," he said extending a hand in proper greeting. Blaine didn't hesitate in taking it.

"Blaine." He spoke in relief, the tension around them dissolving. Kurt's hand was soft and warm against his own. They stood there staring at each other for a minute before realizing they hadn't let go of the other's hand and quickly letting them fall at their sides.

"So…do you still need some help?" Kurt asked awkwardly, pointing at Blaine's car.

"Yeah. It ran for about 10 seconds before stopping and didn't want to start again." He answered and Kurt took off the scarf and rolled up the sleeves of the coat.

He leaned over the hood of the car leaving Blaine with a perfect view of just how well those black pants fit his frame. Blaine shook his head, trying to concentrate on the situation, which didn't help much. He was stranded on a school parking lot 2 hours from Dalton with a car that didn't work. He could walk home, but it would take _days._

Ok. Maybe not days but at least 5 hours and he didn't have that stamina.

"Your ignition switch is broken and your oil needs to be refreshed. Do you live here in Lima?" Kurt questioned,

"I live in Westerville," Blaine answered and Kurt whistled in surprise,

"That's pretty far away. You were here for the Tigers then?" Blaine nodded his head in confirmation.

"Don't hate me." He spoke jokingly which caused Kurt to laugh. _God_ even his _laughter_ was melodic. Kurt was kind of proud of himself for keeping his cool around Blaine. The boy was even better looking up close. Soft, thick brown curls and eyes Kurt had never seen the shade of before caused the Cheerio's stomach to do little flips in excitement. They were brown with hints of green, laid under thick dark lashes. He was broader then Kurt, but shorter.

"You don't seem like the type to know about cars," Blaine spoke honestly, a hint of question in his voice.

"My dad has a car repair shop here in Lima, I kind of grew up with it." Kurt answered, "I can call a tow truck to take it there if you'd like?" The car wasn't drivable right now, so he wouldn't take his chances. Blaine answered with a 'Yes please' Kurt got out his iPhone to call the car services line he'd programmed into his phone ages ago. As the son of an auto repair shop owner he talked to the guys on the other end a lot.

"Hey Jenny," he said into the phone, flicking his nails, "Yeah I'm good, thanks. Do you think you can send one of the guys over to McKinley High? I have a station wagon that needs to be towed to the shop…Thanks Jen! I owe you one, give Paul my regards," he hung up and turned back to Blaine. "They will be here in 10 minutes," he said with a reassuring smile. "Do you have a way to go home?" Blaine shook his head.

"I was going to look if there's a bus going to Westerville or call a cab or something." Kurt hummed and looked down at the silver watch around his wrist.

"The closest bus stop is a few blocks away and the bus only goes twice an hour until 5 then once an hour until 10. It stops driving after that." The brunet said silently contemplating how he could get Blaine to grab a coffee with him. He seemed like a nice guy. Kurt wasn't sure if he was gay though. Kind of a buzz kill, right there.

His phone vibrated and Kurt got it back out of his pocket.

_'What's keeping you Hummel? The tequila shots just started!'_

The text was from Brittany's phone, but Kurt was sure it had come from Santana. He sighed and quickly texted her back with an 'I'll be there soon, knock yourself out with the tequila,' When he put it back again he noticed Blaine staring at him curiously.

"Your girlfriend calling?" the curly haired teen asked, the bitterness he was feeling not coming through in his voice. Kurt's eyes widened.

"No! God no! Santana, my girlfriend? That's just disgusting." He took a chance. "No girlfriends. Ever." Kurt said holding his breath and looking at Blaine expectantly. A smile seemed to blossom on Blaine's face along with the hope in his eyes and Kurt found himself smiling in return.

'_Kurt is gay,'_ Blaine mentally said to himself. _'yes! Yesyesyesyes!' _he felt like screaming at the top of his lungs. This gorgeous creature in front of him was gay. He noticed he hadn't told Kurt what his own orientation was so he took a deep breath. "So you're gay…like me?" Kurt couldn't keep his smile from widening at the question,

"Yeah," he answered breathily. "Yeah I am."

"So… you won't mind if I ask you your phone number?" Blaine asked hopefully to which Kurt chuckled.

"I don't mind at _all,"_ he answered and smirked in a way he hoped was seductive. Santana had tried giving him tips on being sexy. He guessed it worked when Blaine's cheeks darkened a little. It was barely noticeable in the bad lighting of the evening sky and some street lamps. Kurt handed Blaine is IPhone.

"Program in your number and I'll call you so you can save mine," Blaine nodded and did as told.

"So... Have you been on the Cheerios for long?" he asked while typing in his name, putting a winky face behind it.

"I seem to join them at the most random times." Blaine looked up and frowned.

"Why random times?"

"Being in the Cheerios is hard. I was on the team last year, but I left because I couldn't handle the pressure. I re-joined them a few weeks ago," He smiled cheekily, "I worked out a lot in the summer and it did me a lot of good."

'_It sure as hell did,' _Blaine mused, quickly flicking his eyes up and down Kurt's body. He was lean and tall with perfectly coifed brown hair and the eyes you could drown in. Blaine ran a hand through his curls, silently cursing the fact he hadn't had any gel that morning.

"So you go to Dalton, huh?" Kurt spoke. "What's it like there?" Blaine smiled widely.

"Dalton is kind of amazing, if you compare it to my old school. I was bullied a lot for being gay. I transferred a year ago." Kurt winced in sympathy.

"I completely understand what you mean. I re-joined Cheerios for a reason. Coach Sylvester may be the biggest bitch in history sometimes, but she protects her own." Kurt didn't know why he was telling an almost complete stranger about this. Maybe it was because he couldn't tell anyone else. They wouldn't understand."I'm still not popular or anything, it just helps to have something else to distract me from them," Blaine smiled.

"Dalton has a zero tolerance policy against bullying, but it's an expensive private school. Not many get an opportunity to transfer or go there." Blaine crossed his arms and leaned back against the car, getting more comfortable.

"I heard it was pretty fancy from a friend. Wooden floors and these enormous staircases." the curly haired teen narrowed his eyes, remembering the spy. He'd almost forgotten about Kurt being in the glee club. He decided to play it cool. "His name was Sam, right?" Kurt's eyes widened in alarm.

"Don't worry, he was a very charming spy." Kurt chuckled nervously.

"Sorry for that. We wanted to scope out the competition. Some pretty nasty stuff happened last year when we competed..."

"All is forgiven," Blaine said waving it off. "We did scare him, right?" He asked with a grin and Kurt recalled Sam's reaction when he came back, talking about Katy Perry and their talented lead Bla-.

Shit.

"O god. You're their lead. How did I _not_ connect this before? Rachel is going to _kill_ me for even _speaking_ with you." Kurt started pacing up and down. Blaine started laughing loudly.

"Then she'll have to kill herself too, she was talking to me during the game and was pretty chummy with my friend Wes, who's also on the Warblers." Kurt stopped pacing and looked over to Blaine again. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. She adored your singing. Even wanted to do a duet with you for regionals."

"She _said_ that? You have to be mistaken. Rachel Berry would never concede on something like that or giving up a solo and share a spot light. _There is no way._" Blaine shook his head in denial.

"She did though. I can't say I blame her, your voice is amazing," Kurt blushed. He wasn't used to compliments. "It must have taken some effort to hit that high note." Kurt pointedly looked sideways.

"It actually took me more effort to sing lower. I'm a countertenor, so that note was closer to my normal register." Blaine looked impressed.

"I wouldn't have guessed. Great job then. I would _kill_ to have a countertenor on the Warblers," Blaine's voice lowered a tiny fraction, it warmed his tone and made it slightly flirtier. "I already know you look good in a uniform, it makes me wonder how you'd look in our blazer,"

Kurt _knew_ he was becoming redder as the seconds passed by. This guy was something else, flirting so openly with someone he'd only met today. A thousand things popped into Kurt's head that had the potential to sound extremely sleazy. He settled for a thank you.

"You would have probably seen me in one if I hadn't had Cheerios practice that day. I would have been a horrible spy though." He licked his lips unconsciously, Blaine's eyes following the movement. "I heard you performed Katy Perry. Do you do girl songs a lot?" he tried changing the subject.

"We do half-half. There's so many good female artists out there, why limit ourselves right?" Kurt sighed wistfully.

"I wish New Directions was like that. It's frowned upon to sing a song by a girl if you're a guy. I purposely blew a note last year, while singing Defying Gravity from Wicked, because they were harassing my dad about me." The honking of a horn interrupted their conversation as a black and orange tow truck drove into the parking lot. The truck stopped next to Blaine's car, a burly man stepping out.

"Hey Kurt, how ya doin'?" he asked gruffly in greeting, adjusting the baseball cap on his head.

"I'm fine, thank you John. How are the kids?" A bright smile made way on the man's face as he whipped out his wallet.

"They had their school pictures taken a few days ago, aren't they the best looking children?" Kurt took the wallet and looked at the pictures with interest and a small smile.

"Erin looks all grown up now. She got all the good genes from her mom though," he spoke and John pushed against Kurt's shoulder playfully.

"I'm the handsomest man I know, don't give Ellen all the credit," He didn't sound or look offended.

Blaine was looking at their interaction with interest. They obviously knew each other pretty well. Kurt turned to him and flashed him a small smile and Blaine's heart skipped a beat.

"John, this is Blaine. His car won't start because of a defect ignition and old oil. It needs to be towed to the garage, can you do that for me?" John nodded and tipped his cap to Blaine, who handed him the keys for the car, before getting back in the truck to park it in front of Blaine's _amazing _station wagon that broke down at the _perfect_ moment.

Blaine and Kurt continued talking, light conversation this time. The things they had talked about before were heavy subjects. Talking about other stuff was refreshing and gave both of them new insight. Blaine was an avid Vogue reader, just like Kurt. Kurt was into musicals and so was Blaine. The few minutes they spend talking cemented their starting friendship. When John walked up to them and Kurt handed Blaine a card with the address of 'Hummel Tires and Lube' the tow truck drove off, John honking the horn in goodbye. Kurt and Blaine both waved in farewell. "I'll get my dad to fix it up tomorrow afternoon so you can pick it up on Sunday." Blaine nodded his head in thanks.

"This might be a little annoying of me, since you already helped me so much, but could you point me to the bus stop?" he asked and Kurt chuckled.

"I'll drive you there, I don't feel like walking anymore today, it takes energy and many muscle strains to be this flexible," Blaine's mouth went dry, but he thanked him and Kurt led them to his car. Which was very, _very_ nice. A silver Escalade, which glimmered under the streetlights.

"Nice car," Blaine commented dryly.

"Thanks. My dad got it for me on my sixteenth." Blaine hummed at the answer, when he sat down in the passenger seat.

"You have good relationship with your parents then? I think I saw them at the game," Kurt smiled awkwardly.

"My mom passed away when I was 8." Blaine suddenly felt horrible for bringing it up. His horror must have shown on his face as Kurt chuckled. "Don't worry. It's a long time ago. I still miss her, yes, but I know she's watching over me." Kurt gave a little wistful smile. "I just want my dad to be happy now. He had to practically raise me on his own. The woman you saw was Carole, his girlfriend and my sort-of stepmother. She's very nice." Kurt looked at Blaine for a moment. The curly haired teen was staring out of the window. "How do you parents cope with you... you know, being gay?" He asked softly, dreading the answer.

"My mom doesn't care. She just ignores it, like it will go away. My dad keeps asking me when I'll bring a girlfriend home. It's very frustrating." Blaine looked back over to Kurt, who drove the car out of the parking lot. "My dad's a douche. But I live with it. I know I'll leave Ohio someday and there will be more accepting people and more people who hate who I am. But I keep Courage, I guess." He smiled a winning smile and Kurt practically melted.

"Courage. I like that." Kurt spoke.

"It'll be our catch phrase then." Blaine said cheekily and they both smiled, a connection and similar understanding forming between them.

This was the start of something great.


	6. The Aftermath

I woke up today to find that I made it to the 50 review mark! Thanks so much you guys :D Keep commenting, it motivates me!

First…. A little explanation for my absence. My family has been having some major problems lately, social services and all that. I have been fighting with my mum and decided that I simply don't want to see her anymore. This has caused me to be kind-off emotional and tired as of late, which made me unable to get the 'puff' to finish this chapter.

There were some comments about Kurt working hard and not instantly becoming something great. I am a firm believer that dancing and singing need talent, but are mostly hard work. I sing in a band as a hobby and it's _hard._ I don't _believe_ in artists who never put real work into their voice or other capabilities.

I am pretty sure I'll start getting reviews soon, asking me why Kurt is so out of character, because he _will_ become different than he is now.

Decisions and events change a person. Kurt was always a self-confident boy with a heart of gold and good intentions, naïve to a fault. The kiss with Karofsky in NBK pushed him out of that personality and forced him to either transfer or live in fear, with death threats looming over his head. His confidence went down spectacularly, because he was separated from New Directions, his family.

This hasn't happened in my story. Instead, he rejoined the Cheerios, top-dogs of the school. He rarely gets harassed anymore because of his newfound membership, because that is how it _works in high school_. Being on a cheerleading team seems to carry a lot of weight in American schools. Now look back at this: Kurt was confident but naïve, continuously trying to make himself noticed with outrageous outfits, cramming in as much designer clothes as he could layer on himself. It was a shield.

He doesn't have to anymore. He still uses it as a shield, yes, but not as much. As for the naivety, he is becoming acquainted with Santana and Brittany. His friendship with Mercedes is different, as she has just as much experience as he has, which is none. Now that he's becoming closer to the cheerleaders, he gets confronted with sexual situations, innuendo and tales of actual sexual experiences.

In Sexy, Kurt struggles with sexual themes because they are unfamiliar and scare him, not only for the intimacy and trust required to perform sexual acts, but in the act itself; making yourself or someone else so vulnerable, both of which Kurt _hates_.

Here, he doesn't mind that much anymore.

I would also like to mention the term heteronormative gender typecasting. This is the act of giving someone in a gay or lesbian relationship the label of 'girl' or 'boy', making it akin to a heterosexual relationship. I am trying to avoid doing this, even though RIB seem determined to do this with the klaine relationship. I know there are some relationships like this, but neither Kurt or Blaine are _girls._ Yes, they have feminine traits, especially Kurt, but he still has a penis, so a _girl he is not, and he will not be._

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><p><strong>Happy klaine-ing!<strong>

**Chapter 6: The aftermath**

Kurt woke with a start, his alarm clock blaring the morning radio programming into the silent basement slash bedroom. He was going to have to say goodbye to it soon, when moving into a new house with the Hudsons. He'd fought his father tooth and nail to get the better bedroom out of two. Finn hadn't seemed to mind that much, glad he didn't have to share. Kurt wasn't entirely happy with the way things turned out, as the house felt smaller than the current one, but he got an adjoined bathroom for himself out of it.

The brunet had decided to do his new bedroom with a more 'vintage' feel, earth tones and wood being dominant in the design. His basement bedroom was grey with lots of metallic, big red and black coloured cushions softening up the room somewhat and that wasn't what he was going for in the new house. It felt older and Kurt didn't want the soul of the house to be lost in Dior grey and cold metal.

The thing he was going to miss the most was his walk in closet. Sure, he was required to wear the cheerleading uniform the majority of the time, but that didn't mean he bought _less_ clothes. Even selling some of his older stuff, earning back a _lot_ of money off of it, hadn't really dented his collection nor freed up enough space in the closet. Kurt decided to worry about it later. He was going shopping with Mercedes today and while he really should be worrying about a place for his soon to be new scarves and shoes, he couldn't bring himself to care.

He got out the purple Diesel jeans he'd bought on a whim while contemplating over which white shirt or blouse would go with it. He wasn't going all out today, as it would take ages to pull his more... _extravagant _clothing back on when he was in fitting rooms. Satisfied with the outfit he'd laid out, he got out of his pyjama pants and boxers and into the bathroom to shower.

It was early, just shy of 9 o' clock, when he sat down on his bed with a mug of fresh coffee he'd made in the kitchen and checked his phone, hair still slightly damp. He smiled, taking a sip and looking at Blaine's latest text. A week had passed since the half-time show.

Most of them were random: About songs that he'd heard on the radio or how he really _really _loved coffee or just random spouts of 'courage' with winky faces. Kurt loved it. It was strange that he felt such a connection with an almost complete stranger. Except, Blaine wasn't really a stranger anymore, right? He was Blaine Anderson, one of Kurt Hummel's _friends_. A male friend, who played the piano, had an unhealthy obsession with Katy Perry and Roxy music and loved black and white movies.

News had travelled fast in the glee club, unfortunately. He'd had to delete a lot of wall messages on his Facebook because Santana had apparently told Rachel, who told Finn, who told Puck, who told Lauren, who told _everybody_, that 'Hummel has an admirer and soon to be boy-toy.' Mercedes had caught wind of it immediately but hadn't been able to reach him until late that night, when Kurt came home from the party he'd reluctantly gone to after dropping Blaine off. She had been hogging for details.

He'd been surprised when Rachel had cut him some slack with this, as Blaine was one of the Warblers. But she seemed determined to let him learn from his own mistakes, just like she did. Because the Rachel Berry way, was the best way, as she was the best. Or something along those lines.

His night had been somewhat fun, yes, but fully what he'd expected from a jock party. It had been almost stereotypical. He hadn't touched the punch and didn't drink out of a cup if it had been left unsupervised for too long. There were people making out, playing beer pong and swimming in the pool. He _did_ have fun laughing and staring at Santana's face when she was alternating between crying, screaming and laughing while rolling around on a beer stained couch. She had tried to make coherent bitchy comments and swipe him, but was too drunk to be understandable or have any coordination left. Kurt had gained blackmail material for _years_ to come.

He reread the text, not having really registered what it said. He had been way too focussed on thinking about all the times Santana had admitted to liking peach instead of banana's. She hadn't made any sense.

'_The Lima Bean has _the _best coffee in the whole state of Ohio. Did you know that? – B'_

Kurt almost choked on his own coffee, reading the message. Blaine was in _Lima_? He knew that the teen lived in the dorms at Dalton, which was at least two hours from where he lived. Kurt hadn't heard about the 'Lima Bean' before, though.

'I didn't even _know_ there was a coffee place other than Starbucks in Lima,' He thought with a sigh, before typing out his reply to Blaine. Even though he wanted to see the teen, he knew it was going to be impossible due to his shopping spree with Mercedes. He tried to ignore the gnawing feeling of disappointment.

'_Hmmm…haven't been to that place before. You'll have to take me there some time ;) Are you in Lima? -K' _

He sat the warm mug down next to him on the nightstand and laid down on his stomach waiting for a reply. He had a fair few minutes to kill before picking up Mercedes to go to that new mall. He felt both excited and pathetic at the same time, waiting for someone to text him back and doing absolutely _nothing_ else. He got up from the bed and started fixing his now dry hair. His phone buzzed but he didn't stop to reply until the last strand was in place.

'_Well, I'll be sure to take you there soon ;) I'm on my way actually, Warbler gig, won't take long. Maybe meet up after?' _Blaine's newest text read. It didn't take Kurt long to type a reply to this one either.

'_Can't :(. Going on a shopping trip with my best friend, Mercedes… maybe next time? -K' _

When he decided that the message conveyed his disappointment but didn't sound desperate for attention he send it and grabbed his coffee. He drank the last few sips left in the white mug. He stood up and pocketed his phone, moving up the stairs to the kitchen. He'd just put the used cup in the dishwasher when his phone buzzed again. Kurt got it out quickly, eager for Blaine's reply. He chastised the inner voice saying he acted like a simpering fool and looked at the screen.

'_Awww.. I really wanted to meet up with you :( Maybe next week? On Friday? –B' _

Kurt's heart started beating a mile a minute and he smiled, slightly shocked. Was Blaine asking him out? Or was this just as friends? His musings were interrupted by a text from Mercedes, saying she was ready earlier than expected. He quickly answered her but took a few minutes to decide whether he should accept Blaine's offer. Sighing at his own hopeful thoughts and excitement riddled body, he answered in affirmative. He send the text, before getting his coat to go pick up Mercedes.

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><p>"You ready Blaine?" Wes asked, taking a sip from a water bottle that had been handed to him by some stressed organisation assistant.<p>

"Ready as I'll ever be I guess," Blaine answered, smiling softly. His day couldn't really get better. They were performing today, the Warblers. Being on a stage with the group was always fun, but his day had been exceptionally better than others. A certain brunet was the cause. Kurt had agreed to get a coffee with him next Friday and Blaine barely kept himself from jumping up and down in excitement.

It wasn't a _date_, but he could always over glorify it in his head. He'd felt an instant click with Kurt, one he hadn't had with anyone else before. He'd found every opportunity a good opportunity to either text or message Kurt on facebook about absolutely anything, ranging from Disney to the fuzziness of the carpet in his dorm room. He told himself he was _just_ enjoying the friendship.

_Friendship._ Blaine's conscience emphasized the word, making him calm down a little. Kurt hadn't shown any overt interest in him and Blaine didn't know if he had been obvious in his attraction to the mysterious Cheerio. The blue-eyed teen had danced and sung his way into Blaine's heart, mind and… _body_ without even really seeming to try_._ It all came down to a few things.

The flexibility of his limbs, the lean muscles and he was _taller _and he wondered how big-

Blaine shook his head to clear it of _that_ particular thought process, knowing where it would lead. Getting ready for a performance wasn't the best time to be aroused or for all the blood in his brain to make a sudden disappearance south. He willed them away, focussing on warming up his voice some more. The Warblers had a little set list for today, to amuse the guests and create a nice atmosphere. The girlfriends had been informed, of course. They were all there, on the other side of the make shift stage set up in the big new hall.

"We're up in two minutes," Jeff said adjusting his own collar, "Break a leg." The warbler gave Blaine a pat on the shoulder before going to the other side of the stage. All around him the others were preparing themselves; clearing their throats and adjusting their ties. Blaine straightened his blazer and took a deep breath, an easy smile making way on his face, thoughts of Kurt pushed to the back of his mind.

"Here for our grand opening: introducing all boy accapella group, the Dalton Academy Warblers!" the announcer boomed. Blaine vaguely remembered the introduction with the perky man. He didn't remember who it was.

Still on the sides of the stage, the Warblers began to hum and sway onto the little platform. Blaine hummed along until they were in formation. They couldn't use this song for sectionals anymore, because that spy had seen it. It was still fun though. Katy Perry was after all, one of his favourite performers.

_You think I'm pretty without any make up on_

_You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong_

_I know you get me, so I let my walls come down_

_Down_

A crowd began to gather around the stage. Children were excitedly jumping up and down as Blaine started on the chorus. He took care to lean down, shake some little hands and rub some hairs. The crowd was eating out of his hand by the time he finished the first few lines.

Kurt and Mercedes hadn't even noticed the stage until a group of uniformed boys started singing on it. Kurt had instantly recognised the distinct blue and red Dalton attire, his heart skipping a beat.

He stopped his walk and gaped. He must have looked like a down right idiot because Mercedes hit him in the arm, getting him out of his stupor. "Those are the Warblers, right?" his dark skinned friend asked and Kurt nodded, "You wanna go watch them?" Kurt's eyes shifted back to the stage and he could-

_Blaine._

Blaine was up there, singing the opening notes of Teenage Dream. Kurt had almost overlooked him, but he recognised the voice and the eyebrows. His hair seemed to be gelled down and he looked very… dapper. And attractive. That too.

"We are definitely going to watch them." At Mercedes' inquiring look at his enthusiasm, he hesitated. "T-they are our competition for sectionals. I want to know if Sam missed anything." Mercedes still looked at him with suspicion, but complied.

They walked up to the stage, where a crowd of shoppers had gathered around the tiny stage. Kurt could see some girls to the side and remembered some of them as those prep school cheerleaders. He made sure to keep to the opposite side of the stage, not wanting them to spot him. Cheerleaders always seemed to hold an _awful_ grudge. There was no friendship among different squads, it was unheard off. The bull in those cheerleading movies had given an image of sportsmanship, but not the _real_ dynamic of a team.

It was a harsh world to live in.

Kurt and Mercedes stepped as close as possible to the stage, both their eyes drinking in the sight of around 15 young men singing in harmony.

Blaine almost choked on his own spit when he saw Kurt and what he guessed was Mercedes. Only weeks of practice kept him from messing up on the lines and steps. His eyes widened and he suddenly felt more nervous than he was used to. Blaine had never gotten stage fright before. He loved performing and had grown up with it, but the scrutinizing gaze of someone like Kurt sends him in a frenzy of cold sweat and nerves. But Kurt wasn't the only one there; he was entertaining an audience.

So he did what anyone in his position would do. He kept singing, shoving his nerves to the side and even offering Kurt a small wave.

_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream_

_The way you turn me on. I can't sleep_

_Let's run away and don't ever look back_

_Don't ever look back_

Blaine made sure to look into Kurt's eyes while singing the flirty, suggestive lyrics, gulping down the fear of rejection. He was hoping on some kind of reaction out of the teen and there was. There was something there in the clear blue irises, Blaine just couldn't figure out what. Was it interest? Or something else?

His newfound fears were forgotten when Kurt smiled at him in excitement. It was a small and hopeful one, which warmed Blaine's insides pleasantly.

Maybe he'd finally found his teenage dream.

* * *

><p>Kurt took back all the things that he had silently whispered to the New Directions members to reassure them. He had downplayed the info he'd received from Sam to not cause panic and to keep himself assured of a victory at sectionals. He saw how ridiculous he had been doing that. Any and all fear for loss was pushed back into a corner of his mind however, nagging him but not enough for him to notice. He was lost, bobbing along with the music and soft tenor of <em>Blaine,<em> who was singing teenage dream at the opening of the mall he just happened to walk into this Saturday morning.

"Damn! They're good!" Mercedes whispered fiercely, eyes widened in slight fear. Kurt just hummed in acknowledgement, gaze never leaving the singing group. Their performance was hypnotizing. Their choreography was simple but it was made up for with their fantastic harmonies and endless enthusiasm.

New Directions had to step it up if they wanted to drag in a win at sectionals; if these guys were the people they were competing with. He still cheered for the Warblers though. This wasn't for the competition; they were performing because they could and because they enjoyed it. It was probably safe to say that Kurt could enjoy the opening now and not feel guilty after. He was kind of hoping Blaine wouldn't pull a Jesse st. James.

'You would have to be dating him if he's going to pull something like that,' Kurt's conscience erupted his thoughts bitterly. It made Kurt wonder. He didn't want to jump on the first gay guy he met but Blaine was _handsome_ and fun and so…

Kurt didn't know how to describe it. There was something there, hiding beneath the surface of Blaine's skin. A person he wanted to know so badly his heart pounded faster every time he found out more about him. It didn't feel the same as when he'd crushed on Finn. He had been obsessed with the image of a kind teenager who helped him _once_ and would then fall in love with him despite their environment. Instead, Finn let him sink like the Titanic. He hadn't been in love, he thought he was, but he hadn't been. He wanted that dream guy and Finn and then Sam had been the closest to the image he had created.

He had to be tall and athletic, with light hair and able to sing. He would like sports and give Kurt roses on Valentine's day and dance with him at prom. He would walk through the halls with him, hand in hand.

But that image was slowly morphing. His dream guy was changing into a smaller person, built but not overly so, who would send him obnoxious texts and buy him coffee. Someone like Blaine Anderson, who was up on a stage singing a Katy Perry song about living his teenage dream.

Kurt had the feeling that Blaine was turning into his.

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><p>Dedicated to my loyal livebloggers. I love you guys. R&amp;R! Because reviews give me happy feelings.<p> 


	7. In Cups of Coffee

AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: In Cups of Coffee.<strong>

"You could have told me this was where you were having the performance," Kurt spoke after taking a bite of the bagel he'd gotten at the food court. He, Mercedes and Blaine were sitting at one of the benches outside the toy store.

"Must have slipped my mind. Did we put the fear of god into you?" Blaine inquired, curious about what Kurt thought of his performance. He was anxious for a reaction.

He shifted his eyes to Mercedes, who seemed to be sizing him up. Blaine gulped into his coffee cup, intimidated by her unrelenting stare. He almost sighed in relief when he saw her gaze softening, even if it wasn't such a difference.

"We are so going to lose at regionals, if that's what you normally do," Mercedes said, letting her head drop into her hands. "You guys were fantastic, with all the harmonies and stuff," She uttered in both aggravation and awe.

Blaine smiled at the compliment and turned his gaze to Kurt, who was looking between him and Mercedes with a smirk on his face.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that if Kurt's singing in your choir as one of the leads, he's going to wipe the floor with us," Blaine said teasingly, enjoying the blush that crept up Kurt's cheekbones. He really liked flirting with the brunet.

"That will probably never happen," Mercedes said while stirring her smoothie with the straw and looking dejected, "Shue always gives all the solos to Rachel and duets to her and Finn. They always let me do a big belt at the end, because my range is way bigger than hers, but she still gets all the songs." Blaine frowned at their disappointed posture and expressions.

"Wow. That's pretty…frustrating, isn't it? I mean… the Warblers make people audition for solos." The Warblers were all pretty good singers, but some weren't as enthusiastic as Blaine, which made Blaine almost always win in the end. If they wanted to charm the judges they would need a charmer. Blaine was all dapper charm and sex appeal. They seemed to like hearing Blaine sing too, and who was he to deny them that?

"They do? Can we transfer right now or…?" Kurt said jokingly, playful glint in his eyes. He brushed his fingers over the lid of the coffee cup he had been sipping from and Blaine's eyes followed the movement. Blaine had to keep himself from reaching out and touching, just to look if Kurt's skin was as soft as it seemed. He shifted his eyes back to the teen's face.

"Well… if Mercedes had a remarkable talent for shape shifting and you can both afford the school fees, Dalton would welcome you with open arms," he said, smiling his most charming smile. How ridiculously amazing would it be if Kurt transferred to Dalton? He knew the prices were steep, but he could still dream. He wondered how the uniform would look on Kurt and swallowed thickly. He knew how amazing Kurt looked in a cheer uniform, he would probably make the Dalton uniform fit like a glove. He almost cursed out loud at his own repeated thoughts. Hadn't he been thinking the exact same thing only a week ago?

"It's sad though. Everyone in our glee club has a talent for singing, but it never gets shown. Our director has an unhealthy obsession with Journey too." Kurt sniffed in distaste. "We did do Rocky Horror, just for ourselves though. That was fun."

"You guys did Rocky Horror? That's awesome. Who did you guys play?" Blaine inquired.

Kurt smiled wide and swung an arm over Mercedes' shoulder. "Mercedes here, was Dr. Frank-N-Furter and I was her faithful handyman, Riff Raff." Blaine gave him a questioning look and asked why Mercedes had been cast for the transvestite scientist. Kurt launched into the tale of Shuester and his jealousy for the dentist Ms. Pillsbury was dating with what seemed like practiced ease.

Mercedes had been looking between the two of them with something akin to curiosity for the majority of their conversation. Blaine seemed entirely wrapped up in Kurt, staring at his face, hands and neck with look of rapture on his face. Kurt hadn't seemed to notice and looked back in almost the same way.

She needed to grill Kurt about this boy, he had been quiet about it for the entire week, but she would have to do it in private. "Kurt, didn't that shoe sale start at 3? It's 2:50 you know." She saw both Kurt and Blaine glance at her with disappointment. God these two were so into each other, it was ridiculous.

"Yeah, that's right. Well, it was nice speaking to you Blaine. I guess I'll see you on Friday?" Kurt smiled a little hopeful smile, which Blaine answered with a similar one. Mercedes could feel her heart swell a little at the sight, but it made her feel lonely too. Even Kurt, whose chances at finding a boyfriend in rural Ohio were close to zero, had someone who liked him.

"Yeah. I'll be there at 5. That a good time for you?" Blaine said, standing up and throwing his cup into a nearby trashcan. His eyes found Kurt's again and the clear blue mesmerized him. They made him stop breathing for just a second, to just _look_.

"Perfect," Kurt answered, "I'll see you then." He stood up, Mercedes following closely. The dark girl was looking between them with confusion, the interaction going over her head. He smiled and bid Blaine goodbye, the Warbler replying in kind, and Kurt let Mercedes drag him away. He didn't get why she had to get him to leave Blaine.

For once, Kurt found he'd rather have social contact with a human being instead of a Prada bag, even if he loved Prada to death. He'd been surprised to see Blaine so put together and _charming_. He seemed more controlled and self-confident then when his car broke down. Blaine had come to pick up the car on Sunday but Kurt hadn't been there to greet him. It had, of course, been disappointing, but Kurt comforted himself with the thought that as soon as he got home from Mercedes' place that Sunday, a Facebook message or a text would be waiting for him.

"So tell me, _how _did you guys meet exactly? There was a car involved, that I know," Mercedes said, linking their arms.

"Well… right after the game-"

* * *

><p>Kurt didn't know <em>how<em> it was possible, but he felt just as nervous as he had for the half time show. He had seen Blaine twice now, one time shadowed by the night sky and awkwardness and a second time on accident, in a mall with Kurt's best friend there. In Kurt's eyes, that didn't really count as anything but simple coincidence.

This seemed more…_intimate,_ if that word was even allowed for such a simple thing as getting coffee. He wasn't completely alone with Blaine, but he might as well be. He had no stories to fall into with friends, no one there to break an awkward silence if one made an appearance. It caused Kurt to be on edge, his nerves slowly taking a toll on him and making him anxious and thrilled at the same time.

He had been having a shitty day, though. Karofsky had been bothering him again, the last few weeks. Nothing physical, because coach would _kick his ass_, but words hurt as well and the constant reminder that Karofsky still towered over him and could probably toss him in a dumpster easily made Kurt feel on edge.

He was careful to avoid any contact with the jock and shook his head of bully related thoughts. He wouldn't think about the notes passed to him in class saying he should die because he's a fag. Because he knows it isn't true.

Blaine was the first gay guy he'd met in the state of Ohio and Blaine _knew_ that. Wouldn't it look really _desperate_ if he wanted a relationship with the teen? Wouldn't it come across as settling for Blaine, because there was no one else?

He didn't even know much about him, even if they'd been texting back and forth for 2 weeks now. It had all been polite and tentative, never straying from friendly and a _little_ flirty on occasion. It was all so _new_ and fragile, that Kurt didn't know what to think of it.

Kurt cursed himself for making such a big deal out of everything. They were _just_ going out for coffee. Blaine hadn't come to his doorstep with roses and chocolate, serenaded him and driven them off to a fancy restaurant of Kurt's choosing. They were going out for coffee at a little place called the Lima Bean; anything that would follow was just guesswork.

It was 4:30 now. A little Google search later and Kurt had the address and closing time. Making sure that everything was in place (hair, teeth carefully brushed, shirt straightened), he took a deep breath and grabbed his car keys.

* * *

><p>Blaine sat in his seat, carefully sipping at his medium drip and humming in delight. This place really had <em>the<em> best coffee. He had been going through Westerville and adjoined villages for ages now, be it with friends or fellow Warblers, but nothing came close to the smooth dark beverages at the Lima Bean. He turned his head to the entrance for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon, eyes straying over the person walking through the glass door.

It wasn't Kurt.

He was about 15 minutes early, having finished the essay for English earlier than expected. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and inhaled the scent of the little shop. He listened to the noise of customers sitting at tables around him and dozed on the smell of fresh Robusta beans and warm milk.

He had been coming here all week, sitting at a table in the corner, to do homework on his laptop and sip on another one of those carefully crafted coffees they had here. Or, that was what Blaine liked to believe.

Still no Kurt.

He sighed and got out the book he'd reluctantly brought with him. He knew it was about 10 minutes to 5 and Kurt said he'd be here around 5 ish, but Blaine couldn't calm his excited limbs down. He had to do something, or he would just be staring at his coffee cup or pocket watch for the entire while.

What an image that would make. A guy in a private school uniform sighing wistfully and looking from the entrance to his silver pocket watch and back. He tried to look casual, emerging himself in the book, slowly reading the next lines. He lost himself in the careful wording and subtexts of the aged pages. Blaine knew that wasn't the typical reading material for a 17 year old male teen, but couldn't bring himself to care. The worn copy was very dear to him.

"Didn't figure you to be the Jane Austen type." Blaine didn't look up but smiled at the joking voice. _Finally_.

"There is a lot you don't know about-," Blaine started and let his eyes fall on Kurt.

_Wow._

The teen was wearing a soft beige coat and a white knitted scarf, a warm blush coloring his round cheeks. Blaine's breath caught when Kurt carefully pulled off the wool material, exposing his pale neck. He looked more put together than the last two times Blaine had seen him.

"-me," Blaine finished lamely as he grabbed his coffee cup and closed his book. "Hi," he said finally, trying to fight down his awkwardness. Kurt smiled carefully, replying with a soft 'hello' and unbuttoned his coat, exposing the light blue and black fabric underneath it.

'He's trying to kill me,' Blaine thought as he took in the shirt and vest hugging Kurt's chest and arms in all the right places. 'He really is.' He cleared his throat and stood up to throw away the empty cup.

"I'm getting a new one and I might as well get one for you too. What's your order?" He needed the few minutes of getting coffee to compose himself. Kurt was leaving him in a mess of both adoration and sexual frustration. His heart hammered in his chest as Kurt smiled a pleasant smile at him.

"A grande non-fat Mocha, please," he spoke a little breathlessly and Blaine nodded and couldn't keep the smile off his face. Blaine was still in his blazer but had taken of the tie earlier. He was glad he did. He hoped that it made him look more casual than he actually felt at the moment.

While Blaine stood in line to get their coffees, Kurt grabbed the book and gave it a once over. It was old, well worn and well read, judging by it's cover and pages. It had stains on it, of what only could be coffee and it felt very _alive,_ if you could even say that about a book. Kurt wondered how long it had been in Blaine's possession. He felt like an intruder, touching it.

He put it down gracefully as Blaine handed him his coffee.

"So, Pride and Prejudice huh?" Kurt inquired curiously as he took the warm cup and sat it on the table to cool down. It was probably scorching hot right now and Kurt didn't want to make a fool of himself by drinking it now.

"What can I say…I guess I'm a hopeless romantic? It's on me by the way. I asked you here after all," he spoke as he sat back down and took the lid off his cup, before emptying 3 sugars into the steaming, fresh coffee. Kurt's eyes flicked down to follow Blaine's hands in their movements. It all looked very practiced, like he had been doing something similar for years. He probably had. Blaine had long fingers, perfectly manicured nails and only a few dark hairs on his knuckles. They looked strong but gentle at the same time. A piano player's hands.

"It's so weird that I have never been here before… I mean, there is only one Starbucks in Lima, I think I would have heard about this place by now," Kurt said, looking around and gesturing with his fingers. "Or at least driven past it."

"You know, I was surprised at your text so I asked one of the baristas here. Apparently they only opened about 2 months ago," Blaine spoke, "I guess I was just lucky, driving by this place on my way to the game."

"You know, I never really asked… Are you a big football fan?" Kurt took a sip from his cup and his eyes widened at the taste, before he quickly took another sip. "You were right by the way, this is some _good_ coffee."

Blaine chuckled. "I know right? But yes I'm a fan, though not a fanatic. I came to support one of my best friends, David. He's one of the running backs." Kurt smiled softly into his cup and sat it down.

"Want to know a secret?" Blaine nodded and urged him on with a hand gesture as he took a long drink from his own cup.

"I used to be on the football team," Kurt spoke causing Blaine to choke on the warm beverage as he laughed. "Hey! It's no laughing matter! I was the kicker for all of 1 game, before I quit. Never really liked football to begin with."

"And you took up cheering after that?" Blaine cleared his throat and Kurt tisked in mock irritation but smirked.

"No, I only started cheering late last year and I quit that after 2 weeks. The coach was pressuring the team into losing weight and I fainted once. It wasn't pretty."

"You _fainted_?" Blaine spoke incredulously, "You told me you quit because of pressure, but that is really going _far_. Is she still pressuring people? Because it seems kind of barbaric."

"She's mellowed out a little about that," Kurt answered, "She got appointed as principal of the school a few days ago and banned tater tots. It's causing a riot," He chuckled, his eyes crinkling up in amusement, "I never really approved of them to begin with. Never been one for too much unhealthy snack food, high cholesterol is very _bad_."

"You don't seem to have any problem with coffee, though."

"I said _too much_ snack food. I eat snacks, but only when I'm somewhere else. Snacks and salty things are banned from our house because my dad had a heart attack last year."

"That's _awful_. I mean, was Carole there to help you?" Blaine remembered Kurt telling him about his mother and he carefully shifted past the subject.

"Yeah, she was a great help. But it was all fairly new and I didn't trust her with too much. It has always kind of been just me and my dad and he was always working, so I kind of had to take care of the both of us." Kurt had a genuine smile on his face so Blaine relaxed a little. "Thank god I learned how to cook. He would have set the kitchen on fire at least 3 times if I hadn't been there. It's funny. He can take apart a car and put it back together with his eyes closed, but he can't manage the oven."

"Knows how to cook, adding that to the list," Blaine said teasingly opting for a thoughtful expression and shifting so his chin was leaning on his hands. Kurt's eyes widened comically and Blaine had to hold back a laugh. He was adorable.

"What list?" Kurt inquired, shifting awkwardly in his seat. This was all really new and he wasn't used to people flirting with him.

"Oh, just the 'things that make Kurt Hummel kind of amazing' list." Blaine hoped he wasn't coming on too strong. The blush on Kurt's face was worth it. A loaded silence followed and Kurt's blush diminished a little.

"You're actually one of the first people who has ever told me something like that," he spoke quietly, his eyes filled with laughter and Blaine really _really _wanted to reach out across the table and grab Kurt's hand. He refrained. Moving too fast and jumping to conclusions were two of his less desired qualities. Jeremiah had pointed that out when they first met. He really liked Kurt, but he didn't know if starting a relationship with him was the best idea at the moment.

There was something off about him, something Blaine was familiar with but couldn't quite place. Like there was stuff on his mind.

"You told me you started cheering again, because of bullies? Are they leaving you alone now? You never really told me the entire story about blowing that note either. I love Wicked, by the way."

It took Kurt a few seconds to figure out what Blaine was talking about and another few to register what Blaine had just told him. He liked Wicked. Plus one. The evening they met had been two weeks ago and he didn't remember every single thing he said. He sighed and shifted in his seat, tensing.

"The bullying at my school is still pretty bad." Kurt swallowed thickly. "They are also very gender conforming at McKinley. Girls like fashion and make-up, guys like sports and video games. You're dubbed a 'fag' if you don't fall into those categories. Last year, I wanted to sing Defying Gravity in glee, but got shot down immediately. It was a girl song, sung by a girl and written for a girl who sings in a higher register. My dad went to the principle and I got a chance to sing it, but some of the jocks had been calling and leaving messages on the phone at my dad's work. So I blew it, to avoid further harassment."

Kurt looked damaged and hurt and Blaine could feel the blinders slowly moving from his eyes. He didn't know if he should really be flirting with Kurt right now, the teen was obviously only _now_ dealing with the bullying. The last time someone had tried to open up to Blaine and he had trusted them, it had ended badly, after all. He had the scars to prove it. He couldn't fight his own battles, so how could he possibly help someone else fight theirs? He could try at least.

"The reason I transferred to Dalton in the first place was that I was bullied very badly at my previous school. The people at your school… are they physically violent?" he inquired, careful to keep his voice neutral.

"They…used to be, with me at least. Their favorite past time in my freshman and sophomore year was throwing me into dumpsters; it slowly progressed to getting body slammed into lockers. Now it's just slurs and I don't know… intimidation? One guy in particular, Dave Karofsky, won't leave me alone." Kurt's thoughts went back to that morning. The way Karofsky had been throwing slurs around, creating rumors that were obviously fake. "I guess I just have to keep courage, right?"

Blaine gave him a sad smile that he knew didn't reach his eyes and felt his stomach sink. "I ran and I _regret_ it every day," he spoke, "I have never had the courage to face my tormentors or call them out on their behavior and I will always carry their words with me. You're one of the most courageous people I have ever had the pleasure to meet."

A beautiful smile blossomed on Kurt's face, the shine of his blue eyes once again taking Blaine's breath away. This person was _brave_, to actually still be at that school_._ Blaine didn't know how equal they would be if this would go any further. He had always been terribly afraid of dealing with bullies or anything related to physical intimidation and Kurt had found a partial solution on his own, by the looks of it. Boxing had been a stress relief, but he didn't know if he could bring himself to actually use it and hit someone back.

So Blaine decides to try and be friends with Kurt, however much he wanted a chance with him. This person deserved someone braver, someone _better _than what Blaine had to offer. He sucked at romance and Kurt deserved someone who could give him the moon if he asked for it. Because Kurt had courage and Blaine did not.

"Now, _if_ I were to offer you chocolate covered biscotti right now, what with your no snacks policy and all, would you politely decline?" he said jokingly, trying to make the sudden oppressive atmosphere disappear by changing the subject. Kurt seemed to catch on and shook his head in a negative fashion. He hoped that Blaine hadn't been scared off at the talk about bullying, because all his earlier musings about desperation were gone. He really liked Blaine. He was a genuinely nice, charismatic person and he had the most beautiful smile Kurt had ever seen.

"You know what?" Kurt spoke and stood up, smile still in place, "This one is on me."

* * *

><p>Fuck I am <em>so sorry.<em> I didn't have any inspiration for this chapter at _all_ and fell victim to writers' block, just like many other young authors do. The holidays have been busy for me and I could never sit down and concentrate on actually writing this.

No worries though, I have already written out short summaries for the next few chapters and am going to base myself off of that. I was struggling with a scene in the beginning because I had my timeline wrong, so I had to delete a page, which is about 500 words and rewrite a _lot_ of things.

It's still no excuse for the delay, so once again _so so sorry_.

Also, don't hate me for what I'm doing with this ok? I need Blaine putting Kurt in the friend zone. They _will_ eventually end up together, but this is needed for my story, so don't go bashing. Remember: Blaine is and always has been, painfully oblivious.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I await your reviews like always :D


	8. Never Been Kissed

Uhmm... Hey guys. It's been a while. This chapter took way too long. Not gonna say much more than that, as some of you probably skip this anyways.

**WARNING: This chapter might be triggering for some people. I think you can guess what's going to happen. It was going to happen, as it's necessary. **_**Please don't kill me, I'm so sorry**._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Never Been Kissed.<strong>

Kurt sat down with a heavy sigh, the couch creaking under the sudden bodyweight. Practice had been particularly rough today and Sue menacing, like always. Nationals were coming up in a few months and their coach was determined to win, just like last year.

She was still keeping the choreography hush-hush, as the spies would be coming soon. They always thought they weren't being suspicious, but Kurt had soon learned that Sue was thorough in her research. Even before the girl from Carmel had appeared, their coach had an entire file ready. Her strong suits, her weaknesses, even what she liked to have for breakfast.

Kurt felt like a special agent in training sometimes, all the secrecy and grueling training sessions. He was hurting in places it most certainly shouldn't hurt. As coach Sylvester wanted a top team, she demanded that everyone eat accordingly. Unlike last year, where the girls and guys formed bulimic tendencies to please the blonde, they now ate healthy.

"You okay, kiddo?" Kurt glanced up to his dad, who'd walked into living room, carrying a cup of what smelled like tea and a newspaper.

"I'm fine, Coach was in another one of her moods. Didn't stretch long enough," He grunted, "Believe me dad, some muscles just aren't _made_ to move in the way she wants us to." Burt chuckled and sat down next to him on the couch, ruffling kurt's drooping hairdo. He didn't have the energy to scold his father, let alone to fix his already ruined hair.

"I never really understood why you rejoined them, I thought you didn't like 'em." Kurt tensed. His dad had an idea of the bullying, but didn't know all of it. Didn't know how he used to get thrown into dumpsters or slushied every day. Kurt tried his best to keep his dad away from stress, at all costs. He wouldn't lose his dad too.

"Glee club didn't give me an opportunity to sing all that much anymore. Coach Sylvester recognizes my talents and puts them to use," he spoke, almost wincing at the way it came out, "It has always kind of been the Rachel and Finn show, but now that they've broken up, every song sung is about broken hearts and unrequited love." Burt scrunched his nose in silent dislike. They almost never agreed on music, but even they had some common ground. While Kurt listened to soppy songs and ballads on occasion, most of his repertoire was musical.

"So uhh, speaking about love. Any potential… boyfriends?" Burt asked awkwardly, shifting in his seat. Kurt's eyes widened comically.

"Did you seriously just ask me if I'm interested in dating someone?" Kurt spoke incredulously, looking at Burt with a combination of surprise and embarrassment. Burt just nodded his head and gave Kurt a look that clearly said 'Don't ruin my attempt at connecting' and however much he felt like shriveling up and dying from sheer embarrassment, because _he never_ had conversations like this with his dad, he also admired his dad's courageous attempt at bonding.

_Courage._

There it was again. Kurt hesitated for just a few moments before giving in and taking a deep breath. His father was looking at him with interest and _just_ a little apprehension.

"There is someone that I like…" Kurt looked down at the mug of tea in Burt's hands, not meeting the man's eyes. "I don't know if he's interested in me, though."

"He go to your school?" The real question was clear. _Are there any other gay kids at your school?_

"He's- no he doesn't. He's from Dalton Academy, that private school in Westerville, " Kurt added, "We met at the football game a few weeks ago."

Burt took a moment to process what he'd just been told and shifted his gaze across the room. It made Kurt nervous and shaky.

"Just…be careful okay?"

_huh?_

"I don't want you getting hurt by some rich kid trying to get in your pants."

"_Dad!"_

* * *

><p>'<em>Maybe I shouldn't have decided to just stay friends with him.' <em>

Blaine was browsing youtube for any New Directions footage he could find, which he surprisingly enough did find. It seemed the AV club at McKinley had taken to filming any performance of the glee club as professionally as possible and putting it on youtube for the world to see. Their repertoire was _enormous_ and Blaine would've stood up and warned the Warblers, if he hadn't found Kurt dancing and singing in his Cheerio uniform. There were only a few of them, including the one from the half time show, but he quickly forgot about telling the Warblers anything. Kurt swaying his hips and belting high notes that made Blaine's uniform pants tighten were dubbed more important.

"What are you watching?" The voice made Blaine jump in surprise and he resisted the urge to slam his laptop shut. Wouldn't want it to look like he was watching porn.

'_Though you might as well have been,' _his brain supplied and Blaine's cheeks flushed as he cleared his throat.

"I found the majority of the New Directions performances on youtube," He answered, acknowledging David's presence. The dark boy slipped into the seat next to him and Blaine quickly back tracked to one of the group numbers he'd seen, careful to not show David any of Kurt's performances. It wouldn't go over well that he was crushing on the competition.

Wait.

'_I'm _not_ going crushing on Kurt. We are just friends and we will remain that way, because he's out of my league and he doesn't need any more baggage. Stop dwelling on it like it's actually going to happen. It's not.'_ He told himself but couldn't keep the flutter of his stomach down as he watched Kurt dancing with the rest of their rival glee club.

Would he even be able to remain friends with Kurt and _not _lust after him like some stalker? But he wasn't _just_ lusting, was he? He didn't only like Kurt for his body. Kurt Hummel was witty, had a sharp tongue, the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen and when he laughed or smiled Blaine's throat always seemed to run dry.

"-a little ragtag at first, but when they actually start performing they become so _alive._" Blaine hummed distractedly. His phone buzzed and startled him out of his daze.

_Cheerios practice was awful-_

He wasn't careful enough with his phone and Wes, who'd just entered the library, had snatched it right out of his hand, reading the text out loud. _" '_Can you think of something to cheer me up? Winky face –K.' Who's K?_" _Wes asked.

"Why are you texting with a _Cheerio?_" David questioned angrily.

Blaine started nervously flicking his eyes between them, trying to find an excuse for his contact with Kurt. David's girlfriend was on the Cheetahs, _the _competing team against the Cheerios _and_ Kurt had sung lead and defeated them and humiliated them spectacularly. So was Wes' girlfriend, coming to think of it.

"Wait, you're texting Kurt? The singer?" Wes spoke and Blaine just nodded. "Good. It's time you got a boyfriend."

Both Blaine and David sputtered indignantly. "Kurt- we're not- We are just friends," Blaine stuttered, turning horribly red and _why_ was he getting red? This was so humiliating. _'Seriously, Blaine, stop. There is nothing between you and Kurt. Stop thinking about it.' _

"Can we talk about the fact that Blaine is _fraternizing_ with the enemy? Do you know how much shit Elise dropped on me, when we lost the game? She couldn't stop talking about our failure for a _week_."

"Shut up David." Wes interjected, edging closer to Blaine and looking through the rest of the texts on Blaine's phone. The one he _still_ hadn't managed to steal back from his friend.

"But Blaine is texting with a _Cheerio_. Wes, that's like, a violation against-"

"So," Wes chimed in. "Tell me Blaine, how did you and Mr. Lambert meet? Oooh I bet it was awkward."

Blaine shifted in his seat.

"Can we not talk about this?" he spoke, trying not to think about the first time he had talked to Kurt. He _had _been awkward. The conversation had lost most of it's tension throughout but he'd still felt like he'd made a fool of himself in front of the Cheerio.

"I'm being ignored, aren't I?" David sighed heavily and adjusted his tie. "Tell me about this mysterious Kurt."

"I knew you'd turn around."

"Shut it, Wes."

Wes raised his hands in mock defeat before once again diving into Blaine's inbox. Blaine really wanted that back now. He tried snatching it out of his friend's grip, but failed miserably while Wes avoided his hands and just chuckled at him, eyes not lifting from the screen.

"His name is Kurt Hummel, he's 17 years old, loves fashion, Broadway and singing. No surprises there," Wes sums up, "Cheerleader, in the McKinley high glee club, can't live without his morning coffee and is very meticulous about his health and appearance. He is also flirting with you in _every single text._"

Both Blaine and David gaped at Wes in wonder.

"He is?" Blaine asked hopefully and cringed in horror at his slip up. "I mean, y-you got that from looking through my phone in under 3 minutes?" Wes just clucked his tongue in annoyance at Blaine's question. "Should have expected that," Blaine admitted finally, as Wes handed him back his phone. He'd blushed more in the last 10 minutes then he'd done in his entire _life. _

Wes looked like the cat that got the cream and nudged David's side. "I think our petit soloist likes someone, what do you recon?"

"I think he's got a crush on a certain soloist."

"_David!"_

* * *

><p>Mr. Shue had managed to catch the same thing as Figgins, so the only logical thing Kurt could have done was get the cool substitute teacher to teach Glee that afternoon. Her rendition of Forget you had been an instant hit and Kurt had received a few pats on the back from the guys and a glare from Rachel.<p>

He didn't get what that girl's problem was. Ms. Holiday was fun and outgoing, much more so, than Mr. Shue had ever been.

He dropped his gaze back to his textbooks. Kurt really disliked math. He knew it was important, or so the teachers said, but that didn't mean he'd like it any more than he did at this very moment. Which wasn't much. He looked around the room with an air of distaste and caught-

_Karofsky's_ eyes?

His own eyes widened and he looked away quickly. Figures, that Karofsky would be creepily staring at him. Kurt felt decidedly nervous and antsy under the unrelenting stare. He squirmed in his seat, trying to make himself comfortable, but the weirdness wouldn't go away.

'_Maybe he's planning something.' _Kurt contemplated, not daring to glance up at the big-bodied bully. It was starting to freak him out. He could feel the eyes burn into his skin, tracing him. Assessing him like some kind of prey.

It made Kurt shiver unintentionally in horror. He felt trapped under that gaze. He realized he was at the beginning of a panic attack, just from Karofsky _staring_ at him like some_ stalker_. What the hell was up with that Neanderthal?

The bell signaling the end of the lesson was a blessing. Kurt quickly shoved his math books into the messenger bag he'd brought today and bolted out of the classroom. He practically ran to the bathroom, trying to keep composure. '

'_Why? Why am I panicking so much? He hasn't done anything but slam me into lockers occasionally. Why am I having such a hard time dealing with a _stare?_'_

His heaving breath echoed against the stone walls as he looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes looked vaguely red, like he'd been crying. And maybe the wet streaks on his cheeks were really there and he wasn't just ignoring them anymore, hoping they'd go away. He felt like the spacious public toilet was closing in on him as he steadied himself against the sink.

The cold ceramic didn't snap him back to reality. Neither did the water he was wetting his face with. He really didn't understand. This wasn't like him. He doesn't suddenly break down because someone _looks_ at him.

His whole body seizes up when he hears the door to the bathroom open. He quickly wipes away the tears and struggles to control his breathing. Kurt turns around to face who ever it was that had entered and stopped breathing altogether.

The jock was sizing him up, just like he'd been in the classroom. The smirk made his face twisted and Kurt wanted to nothing but run away as quickly as he could.

"Why you in this bathroom, faggot? Shouldn't you be in the girls bathroom?"

_Courage._

Kurt took a deep breath, steeling himself. The insult grounded him, brought him back to the harsh reality and left him with relative normalcy.

"What is your_ problem with me? _Why can't you just leave me _alone_?" He yelled, the fear making place for anger. Anger at the ignorant beefy _asshole_ standing in front of him. Anger at the fact that he had to spend another second in Lima and that he couldn't go out and be _himself_, without fear.

"You think I came here on purpose, fag? I can't even go to the bathroom without seeing your fairy ass," Karofsky yelled back, advancing on Kurt and stepping into his personal space.

"As if I choose for you to come into the bathroom, _right _when I'm in here. Not every gay person is out to get you. It's almost as if you want me to pay attention to you, you _sicko_."

"Yeah, as if you don't want to stare at my junk you disgusting fag," Kurt could see that Karofsky was getting angry now, by the way he was starting to pace and raise his fists. But Kurt didn't want to take the easy way out, it felt _good_ to finally say something. Of course he was scared of getting beat up, but he was on the Cheerios now. If Karofsky did anything Sue would maim him and just maybe that made Kurt a little braver.

"You are _not my type_. You know, I don't like chubby assholes who have nothing better to do than bring other people down," he yelled with narrowed eyes, "Because that's all you are, a stupid jock who probably gets off on hurting other people."

He saw Karofsky raising his fist and braced himself for the eventual hit, not backing down or being silent for a second.

"You wanna hit me? Go right ahead. You would just prove my point of you being worse than the dirt under my shoe-"

A pair of lips interrupted him.

The silence inside the public restroom was deafening. All thought processes and potential insults were wiped from Kurt's thoughts, replaced by warning bells, going off at impossible volume. The clammy fingers grabbing his face in something what felt like a deadlock. The smell of sweat invaded his nostrils, a wave of nausea hitting him.

Dave Karofsky was kissing him.

He pushed against the jock's chest and wiped at his mouth in horror. Kurt slowly backed away. When Karofsky moved back in for another kiss, with a desperate look on his face. He wanted to burst into tears. _Why was this happening? _He pushed back and Karofsky looked just as lost as he did, frustration clear on his face. It didn't register with Kurt, who was trying not to faint, too lost in his own situation.

Dave Karofsky had _kissed_ him. Stolen his first real kiss, something that was supposed to be special. The bully had even wanted to go in for another one. The jock whimpered and fled the bathroom, leaving Kurt to his own thoughts.

His thoughts were jumbled, his hands and legs shaking and shivering with every gust of air he took into his rapidly moving lungs. His throat was dry and he realized that his body was shaking with sobs. His entire body felt heavy, as the realization set in. All the stares, locker checks, _everything. _The thoughts that would have gone through Karofsky's head. He slipped to the ground, his legs no longer able to carry his own weight.

Karofsky was gay.

Without even thinking about it, he grabbed his phone and texted Blaine, sitting on the dirty bathroom floor.

* * *

><p><em>Help.<em>

Blaine doesn't understand the text at first. His mind is still pleasantly filled with thoughts of texts about Lady Gaga and '_really?_ Did you see the way the Kardashians were dressed at that party? Fashion disaster.' The word didn't really register until a few minutes later.

Kurt needed help.

Kurt was asking for _help_.

Blaine quickly left the comfortable halls of Dalton, not caring about his classes at the moment. Kurt was more important right now. There wasn't a winky face, no signature. It was just a call for help. The fresh air and silence outside, brought some calm.

Kurt had been telling him more about the bullies lately. How some of them had stopped, some of them came really close to getting caught by Coach Sylvester and how the locker slams were still continued but the slushies had stopped.

He quickly dialed Kurt's number, pacing back and forth on the pavement in front of the large building.

"Please pick up. Please pick up." He chanted, the dial tone too loud in his ear. He just wanted to know if Kurt was ok. The seconds ticked by, every single one making Blaine's fast beating heart drop a little further.

When Kurt picked up, Blaine didn't hear anything but sobbing. He almost sighed in relief, but he remembered that this wasn't the end of it yet. There was something horribly wrong. Fear clenched his heart in it's icy grip.

"Kurt- listen to my voice. Take a deep breath," He spoke, his own voice shaking. He could hear Kurt inhaling, taking a large gulp of air and almost choking on it and Blaine took one too, trying to keep from panicking. "Take a moment, just breathe in and out. I'm here. Tell me what happened."

"K-Karofsky- he- in the bathroom- he kissed me," Kurt choked out, "He followed me and kissed me."

Blaine's breathing stopped. His eyes widened and his hand flew to his mouth unintentionally, covering it. A soft whimper left his lips. Karofsky was Kurt's biggest bully.

"I- Blaine, he's a closet case." Kurt sobbed. "He's gay and he's been bashing me for 3 years because he can't cope with his own sexuality."

Blaine searched his pockets for his car keys.

"I'm coming to you, ok? I'm leaving right now."

He quickly opened the car door and sat down, starting the engine.

"Just hold on."


	9. Confrontations

I am sorry this took so long to finish; I've been working on a different fic called No Curtain Call and didn't have time to write this. This fic is going on a semi hiatus, as are the other ones I'm writing because I need to focus on my school work. I'll still be writing, but I won't be updating a lot. I am also going to Rome next week, so I won't be on tumblr either. If you want status updates, you can find me at baristablainers on tumblr. Hope you enjoy this chapter, I certainly enjoyed writing the last part.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: Confrontations.<strong>

"I can't tell anyone, Blaine. The bullying will either only get worse or be completely ignored." Kurt was standing on the staircase, the faint redness around his eyes the only indication he'd been crying in the first place. Blaine admired his strength. He wouldn't have been able to cope with this the way Kurt had. He sat down on the steps and urged Kurt to do the same. The brown haired boy sat down beside him on the cold, concrete stairs.

"Telling a teacher seems to be the only way to help this situation. I have no other ideas." Blaine loathed himself for not knowing of any way to help Kurt. _'He could come to Dalton,'_ His mind supplied, but Blaine bit his tongue to keep himself from saying the thought out loud. Even if Kurt was bullied at this school, he still seemed comfortable here. He had his friends and family close, was on the cheerleading team and in their glee club.

"I don't blame you for not having an idea what to do. Stuff like this doesn't happen every day." Blaine winced at the tone of Kurt's voice. It sounded way too casual, 'stuff' being said like something normal, like he hadn't been assaulted by his biggest bully. The slight bitter edge around the words kept Blaine from commenting.

"Just know that you're not alone in this, ok? I'm only a phone call away when you need me," he spoke as he put a reassuring hand on Kurt's shoulder. "I know what it's like to be bullied and I took the easy way out going to a school like Dalton." Kurt gave him a wane smile.

"You know, the worst part is that _if_ I'd try to tell someone, they'd never believe me." Kurt looked away and let his eyes fall on the concrete steps. "They'd probably turn it around. The flaming fairy assaulting the football jock with unwanted affection."

"You shouldn't call yourself that," Blaine said and Kurt snorted.

"Why not? Am I not enforcing the stereotype with every piece of clothing I buy and wear? Every song I sing? You know, I tried to act like the stereotypical redneck straight man once, because I wanted to catch my dad's attention." Kurt paused and looked up from the ground, his eyes boring right into Blaine's. "It didn't work out at all. Butch and manly is not something I can pull off, apparently," he finished sadly.

"My dad tried to straighten me up by building cars with me over the summer," Blaine spoke, as if he were talking about the weather. "He even introduced me to the daughters of his friends and associates as a potential boyfriend. He never acknowledged the fact that I will never be romantically interested in them."

He hoped that the message was clear_. I'm here. I know what it feels like. You can trust me._

Blaine had never confronted his own bullies after what happened at the Sadie Hawkins dance, him being beat up so much he'd had to go to the hospital and stay there for 2 weeks. He still had nightmares sometimes; the phantom pains of the beating showing up and making him wince and break out in a sweat, fear gripping at him and making his heart beat a mile a minute.

When Blaine had arrived at McKinley half an hour ago, he'd found Kurt outside, his face red with tears and frustration. He keenly remembered how he'd felt after the dance. He hadn't only been hurt, he'd been humiliated. He guessed Kurt felt the same.

"I never had that with my dad… he never tried changing me, he accepted me. Did I tell you my coming out story?" Kurt looked at him pleadingly and Blaine shook his head, accepting the change of subject and distraction. "I joined the football team to please him-"

"You were on the _football team_? What position did you play?" Blaine asked enthusiastically. _'Kurt was on the football team. He was on the freaking _football team_, can he be more perfect?' _"Sorry, kind of a football fan."

"It's ok. I was the kicker of the Mckinley high titans for all of a week, but it isn't really relevant to the story. I came out to him and he already knew. Didn't blame me for anything or tried to ignore it. He just said he'd always known. Thinking back on it, I _was_ kind of obvious."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, kind of a football enthusiast…" Blaine said, noticing Kurt's face losing it's redness and the tear tracks slowly drying. His eyes were still the same red, but he looked more composed now. More like the person Blaine had first seen perform, a person at comfort with themself. He'd hated seeing Kurt like this, the strong image cracking right before his eyes. "You do know you just contradicted yourself right? You joined the football team, that's almost as _not _stereotypically gay as it gets. I am also very happy that your dad accepts you. You deserve a loving father."

"I- thank you for being here Blaine. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here."

"Back when I wasn't at Dalton, I always wanted someone who understood. I know how this can feel." Blaine put his hand on Kurt's shoulder, his voice resolute."I want to speak to Karofsky. Maybe we can talk some sense into him. Things aren't going to change if we don't try and if that doesn't work out you _could_ tell your coach if it gets too much to handle. I don't think she's big on bullies and she keeps order."

"I-" Kurt paused, "We'll try. But I won't go to Coach Sylvester with this. She'll either take it in stride and blame me for being weak, or blow this out of proportion and use it against the wrong people. People who have nothing to do with this."

Blaine nodded in reluctant agreement. He didn't know what that cheerleading coach was capable of, but it seemed like she was not someone to be messed with. He didn't know if she'd hurt the people around Kurt before and judging by Kurt's reluctance, she probably had.

"So when are we going to confront him?" Blaine asked, the nerves jittering in his body. Kurt stared in front of him for a little bit, seemingly trying to determine a good time for a thing like this. He'd paled considerably and made Blaine think of a man walking to his death.

"Tomorrow. I want this to be over as soon as possible," Kurt said.

Blaine gave him a reassuring smile, hoping to sooth some of Kurt's fears. Blaine knew how to defend himself, if push came to shove and Karofsky decided to turn violent.

"Tomorrow it is then."

* * *

><p>Kurt wondered how this had escalated so fast.<p>

Blaine was pushed up against the side of the staircase, his arms up in a defensive position as Karofsky snarled in his face. Blaine had been very collected and started talking to Karofsky with an air of normalcy and calm. The jock had almost _flown_ at him but Blaine didn't seem all too bothered. Kurt was sure he'd seen a flicker of doubt in his eyes, but it had been squashed down. Now he just looked up into Karofsky's face without fear, side eyeing the raised fist that Karofsky was shaking dangerously close to his face.

Kurt himself was almost having a heart attack. Karofsky was physically assaulting a student from another school, because of a comment about not being the only one and that there were people who understood, that _they_ understood what he was going through.

Karofksy seemed to have taken his words in stride and turned right back to his uncultured Neanderthal behavior.

Kurt, with a surge of sudden bravery and anger, pulled Karofsky off of Blaine, yelling at him and screaming in rage and fear. Karofsky crowded him and hissed the words that made Kurt's blood run completely cold.

"Tell anyone and I'll kill you."

I'll kill you. I'll kill you. _I'll kill you. _The words seemed to echo inside of his mind, mulling over and over. He was trying t

Karofsky would kill him if he told.

The bully had actually threatened him with death. He remembered some of Santana's words.

_Names and rumors and other shit like that can hurt you, but if someone physically threatens you, have _no_ mercy._

It was the final straw and Santana had been right. Enough was enough. The icy fear in his veins melted as quickly as it had frozen, his blood now pumping with rage and resolve. He wouldn't be pushed around by this pitiful excuse for a human being. Not anymore.

"And how do you plan to do _that_ huh? You don't think that someone will _notice_? You don't think that _even_ your buddies will spit you out if you do something like this? That you won't end up in jail, if my dad doesn't get to you first with his _shotgun_?" Kurt's voice was barely raised but he saw the expression on Karofsky's face change from frantic rage to fear. "I've had enough of your behavior. Hell, I'll even spell it out for you. Hit me, go right ahead. If you dare lay a finger on Blaine, or me the entire school will know by tomorrow. I had some sympathy for you, you know?"

Kurt was pushing right back now, the adrenaline pumping through his veins and his eyes daring Karofsky to do anything. This had been the final push. He was backing Karofsky in a corner and he almost faltered when he saw the look on the jock's face. It was the same expression as he'd worn for the last 3 years. Thinking about _who_ had put that expression there only fueled the fire racing through his body.

"I don't believe in outing people and I understand the hardships better than _anyone_ _else_ in this shithole of a school, but you are making it harder and harder for me not to throw you to the fucking _wolves._ Want to know why? Because you are the kind of person who doesn't _deserve_ my attention _or_ compassion. Taking out your frustrations on innocent people who could genuinely understand you and help you, makes you the worst kind of scum on this earth. Now Back. The fuck. Off."

Karofsky gave him one last half-hearted glare before stalking off, none of the rage he'd had before noticeable on his pale, drawn face. Kurt's chest was heaving with exertion, the adrenaline starting to wear off. He stiffened when he noticed Blaine staring at him, mouth open in surprise.

The silence around them was tense, only Kurt's labored breathing was audible. He swallowed heavily and looked at Blaine. He'd never snapped like this before to _anyone_. He almost felt like laughing at the sheer madness of the situation he was in. He'd just scared Karofsky away. _Karofsky, _a jock who was not only a head taller, but someone that could easily squash someone of Kurt's size, just by _sitting_ on them.

"Wow. I…was not expecting that." Blaine said finally, still looking at Kurt incredulously. Kurt could feel his cheeks flare with heat at the Warbler's scrutiny and looked away. "It surprised me. In a good way. I- wow."

"Sorry-" Blaine waved away his apology. "I've never been that pissed at someone before. I have been threatened, of course… but this time. This time Karofsky meant every word and I can't put myself through that. Living in fear I mean." Kurt was surprised and ashamed of his own actions but Blaine seemed to take it in stride.

"You had the courage to do something I've only ever dreamed of doing, Kurt," Blaine spoke, his voice filled with awe. "I never confronted the people that brought me down every single day. I think it's amazing that you actually managed to scare him away."

"Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me that you approve." Kurt tensed. "I mean, as f-friends!" he flushed again, sitting down on the steps of the staircase and Blaine sat down next to him.

He didn't notice the pained and resigned expression on the Warbler's face, too concerned about his almost slip up.

"This was a lesson at least," Blaine joked. "Never get on Kurt Hummel's bad side."

"Yeah, I guess." Kurt smiled but cast down his eyes sadly. "It's just- It was my first kiss you know? Or at least, the first that counted." He glanced at Blaine and wondered what if would've been like if he'd met him earlier. Would Blaine have been his first kiss? Would they be together?

"I guess it doesn't really count. He _forced_ his lips on yours. It wasn't a kiss because you didn't return it. You didn't want it, so it's not really your first kiss, is it?"

"I-no. You're right. You're completely right but it'll always be there. It may be years before I get my 'first' kiss, so I'll be constantly reminded of it along the way." Kurt smiled at Blaine, the sadness very clear on his face.

* * *

><p>Blaine was having an inner debate. One side of him wanted to say screw it and kiss the memory right out of Kurt's mind, another side wanted to take Kurt out for lunch or for coffee and just forget all about the debacle in the first place.<p>

He was weighting the pros and cons, the first option looking very tempting. Was it what Kurt would want though? Blaine didn't want to force him into another kiss right after someone else did, even if Kurt's lips looked amazingly soft and inviting. There were a few seconds of silence and Kurt seemed to waiting for some kind of reaction from him.

Did he want to take the easy way out? Forget this all happened and continue his ploy to be friends with Kurt, ignoring the way his stomach clenched when Kurt smiled at him or the way he'd feel his face heating up if they were touching in any place?

'Decide now, Blaine, you have to decide. Are you kissing him or not?' There was still that little voice, whispering at the back of his mind, telling him that this wasn't what Kurt needed, that Blaine wasn't worthy of Kurt's attention and that he would just be a burden.

Kurt seemed far away now, gazing in front of him with a wistful smile on his face. Daydreaming, probably, of what could be.

"Kurt?" Blaine spoke softly. Kurt's face turned to him and Blaine wondered if he would ever see something as beautiful. Kurt's eyes were far away but seemed brighter than before. He was slumped slightly, different from how he usually sat. Relaxed, almost.

"Yes?"

Blaine opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, unable to form words.

"Never mind." He swore Kurt looked disappointed when he spoke and Blaine instantly regretted not saying anything. Could Kurt like him back? Could he really like someone like Blaine? Someone who acted confident but was really just…scared?

Blaine's eyes shifted back to Kurt's lips and he was sure Kurt saw. The hitch in the teen's breath was a pretty clear indicator.

Later, he wouldn't remember leaning forward and putting his hand on Kurt's cheek. He wouldn't remember hesitating a split second before touching his lips to Kurt's. He wouldn't remember anything but his own erratic heartbeat or the way Kurt nipped at his bottom lip.

* * *

><p>'<em>He's kissing me. Blaine's <em>kissing_ me-,'_

His thoughts were interrupted when Blaine leaned forward a bit more, his hand shifting from Kurt's cheek to his neck. Blaine's hand was warm and it sent a pleasant shiver down Kurt's spine. The kiss seemed to deepen even more and Kurt let out an embarrassing sound when he felt Blaine's tongue ghosting over his upper lip. This was unknown territory for him and Kurt felt the tell tale thrill of excitement stirring low in his stomach.

He shifted a little, the angle was making his neck hurt. Their lips disconnected and Kurt took a moment to breathe, his eyes wide and awestruck. _'This is how it's supposed to feel,'_ he thought giddily. _'This is what a first kiss is supposed to be like.'_

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" The Warbler's eyes were down struck as he stuttered. His face was a bright shade of red and he seemed to be scrambling for words. He dropped his hands from Kurt's face.

"Blaine?"

Blaine quieted and looked back up at Kurt, his breathing slightly harsher than normal. Kurt was pretty sure he was even more flushed than Blaine was right now, even if his breathing was relatively even. He felt out of breath anyways.

"…yes?"

Kurt turned so he was properly sitting towards Blaine, his designer jeans chafing on the concrete. He couldn't bring himself to care.

"Don't apologize again ok?"

Blaine nodded his head and this time they simultaneously leaned in, teeth and mouths colliding almost painfully and once again Kurt couldn't bring himself to care. All he cared about right now was the way Blaine smelled, what he tasted like and how he was completely lost in it.

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><p>HOPE YOU LIKED IT, R&amp;R like always<p>

xoxo

Thebarista


	10. announcement

As you can probably already see, this is not the update you guys have been waiting for. This story has, I am sad to say, been discontinued. I'm going to leave it up for your viewing pleasure and because I can't get myself to delete all those wonderful and encouraging reviews.

Where have I been all summer, you may ask? I've been on vacation, passed my grade, made a lot of new friends and somehow managed to gain more fandoms while losing most of my interest in glee. Don't get me wrong, I still love Kurt and Blaine and some other characters, but the show has disappointed me time and time again, so I am not as invested as I used to be.

I am going to continue writing my other story "No Curtain Call" partially because I see a future in that story. It's way more complicated and thought out than any other story I have ever written and I may someday (if I ever finish it), try to get it heavily edited and published. (kind of like my own 50 shades of grey except without the creepy misogynistic twilight shit)

It would mean so much to me if you went over to my profile and checked it out. I am more proud of that story than I have ever been of this one, even if this one got way more attention.

I am sorry if I've disappointed any of you, and you can leave me an ask if you want to have a general feel of what I was going to do next (as I didn't really think it out… they kissed and I kind of didn't know if I knew how to go further and make the story progress.)

My tumblr url is still baristablainers, so leave me a message and remember: I am only human, if I don't see this story going anywhere, it's not going to work out. Forcing myself to write a story I have no real interest in anymore, kind of defeats the purpose of writing it.


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